2008 Historic Barn Conference
KUTZTOWN — An historic event took place here at the Kutztown University in June, 2008. The Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania welcomed the National Barn Alliance, organization members, and others to Berks County for an annual conference. For the first time, these two non-profit associations whose missions are to record and preserve historic barns across the nation, united their energies and efforts, bringing together enthusiasts of these agricultural icons of the architectural world from seven states and the District of Columbia. This first-time event in the Keystone State was held from June 5th to 7th.
During the conference, keynote speaker Robert Ensminger presented a special reflection on his many years of research. The author of the book, The Pennsylvania Barn, was one of three individuals honored for their studies of historic barns during a tribute dinner.
John Heyl, a renowned architect who inspired many scholars after himself to document the histories of barns, stressed the importance of preserving old barns. Heyl, who has celebrated more than one hundred birthdays, traveled back to Pennsylvania from his adopted home in Maine to participate in this tribute dinner and share his stories. Also honored was retired Penn State professor Dr. Joseph Glass who followed Heyl in his research and academic work.
Other speakers from across the country shared their expertise on barn preservation, timber framing, foundation repairs, and renovation. Among them was Lancaster County’s John High, the “Barn Saver,” who was joined by Dr. Robert Barr, owner of the historic Star Barn located near Middletown, Pennsylvania. They discussed plans that are underway to take down and relocate the historic structure to a new home near Grantville, Dauphin County, in 2009.
Also providing their expertise on historic barns during the conference were: Brian Snyder, Doug Reed, Ken Sandri, Melissa Evans, Greg Huber, Rod Scott, Patrick Dunmoyer, Keith Cramer, Jeff Marshall, Phoebe Hopkins, April Franz, Moss Rudley, and Dr. Rob Reynolds.
A tour of historic barns in Berks County’s Oley Valley concluded the conference and shared a diverse treasure of unique architecture. According to HBFF of PA’s Greg Huber, the Oley Valley reigns supreme in all of Pennsylvania for sheer assortment of early barn types. “Although it covers only three townships almost all major barn styles are represented as barn builders were not lacking in their knowledge and experience of an extensive repertoire of construction types. In using all types of materials – they erected log Switzers, stone Switzers, stone ground barns, variant stone English Lake District barns and other stone and frame barns of types too diverse to discuss here,” he explained. “Builders and farmers alike did not include the word homogeneous in their working vocabularies. In doing so, they left a trail of construction types that makes for what amounts to a giant barn museum. Few areas in all of North America can compete with the Oley Valley for absolute multiplicity of expressions of barn styles.”