Why did the barn cross the road? "A developer bought the land this barn sat on so the town decided to save the barn. It was built in 1898. Its 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 55 feet high. They moved it from one side of the road to the other side where they had cleared land for it. Pretty cool operation. The yellow wheels (giant casters) under the barn moved it and kept it level. Steel beams underneath the barn kept it stable." (MORE PHOTOS) "Why did the barn cross the road? To get to the chickens, who did not cross the road, because they were chicken." - Comment
Housebarns In prehistoric times people discovered that the body heat of animals helps to warm human living areas. Living with livestock in a combined building also prevented thieves from stealing animals. Housebarns were developed in western Europe, Scandinavia, and the British Isles and continued being built into the 19th century. Southwestern France, no date. Typically barn houses were two-story and animals were kept in the bottom level. The Pelster Housebarn in Missouri, built 1860-1864 Immigrants to North America rarely built housebarns, although part of New England is known for its connected barns. (Makes sense to me in cold climates.) Finnish connected housebarn in Embarrass, Minnesota, 1920.
Cantilever Barns They feature an overhang, or cantilever, which supports a large second-story loft atop one or more log cribs on the base story. Many had a breezeway/drive-through between two cribs. "Ninety percent of all cantilever barns in the United States are found in two counties in east Tennessee." [1] Most were built from 1870 to about 1915, by second- or third-generation settlers. A replica of the original cantilever drive-through barn at Cades Cove, an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. The Smoky Mountains usually receives 80 inches of rainfall each year, making it one of the rainiest places in the U.S. The high level of rainfall and humidity caused farmers’ crops to rot when stored. Rain falling on a cantilever barn’s roof drips off the eaves at a distance well removed from the supporting cribs; the overhang protects both structure and livestock, while the space between the cribs works with vents in the upper loft walls to encourage air circulation. The loft was typically used for storing hay and drying tobacco. "There is a long-standing rumor in the Smokies that the unique cantilever design was created to stay one step ahead of the government tax man. Apparently, taxes were assessed based on the total square footage of a structure touching the ground. Barely a third of the cantilever barn is on ground level." Built by Pinkney Whaley in the late 1800s in East Tennessee
That is a cool hot barn, Shirley. Tobacco barn I assume? Pity someone stuck one of those quilt things on it.