Dutch Barns

We're so pleased to have a dutch barn on our farm that we have named the farm after it.  Dutch Barns were built by European settlers in upstate New York and other places in the northeast to support wheat farming.  They stopped building them soon after 1800 when wheat farming moved further west and dairy farming took over.

New World Ducth barns are distinguished by a high peaked roof supported by an internal H frame.  They have low side walls and large doors in the center of each gable end, aligned with the prevailing wind.  Wheat would be driven into the barns in wagons and unloaded before being threshed in the wide, high aisle between the doors, with the wind taking away the chaff.

Our barn is in good shape in the sense that the structure is sound and the building is weather proof.  It still has most of the spectacular original structure, although it was used as a cow barn for a long time and much repaired during its 200 years.  We plan to start restoring the barn next year.  Until then, we're learning all we can.

As we piece it together we'll tell the story of our dutch barn, like this story of the Wortendyke New World Dutch Barn. 

Our friend Brandt Bolding has made a short film about how Dutch Barns were built.  He's a film maker and photographer so the rest of his site is well worth a look.

Dutch Barn Links

Wikipedia article on Dutch Barns

Dutch Barn Preservation Soceiety

Individual Barns

Getman Farmstead, our own farm on Wikipedia

Lainhart Farm Complex and Dutch Barn

Nilsen Dutch Barn (Mabee Farm)

Wortendyke New World Dutch Barn Wikipedia article and Story of the Wortendyke New World Dutch Barn