A publication of Friends of Ohio Barns • September, 2016 • Vol. XV, Issue 3
The Rundles say Thank You!
W
Phot credit: Dan Troth
Kelly and Tammy Rundle in front of the crowd at the Amelita Mirolo Barn
for the Preview of The Barn Raisers.
Photo credit: Dan Troth
Tammy Rundle with the discussion panel of Dan Troth, Rudy Christian
and Tim Anderson.
e would like to take a moment to express our
deep gratitude to Ric Beck, Laura Saeger, Dan
Troth, Rudy Christian, Sarah Woodall and the many
volunteers from Friends of Ohio Barns who made the
August 21 Preview Screening of “The Barn Raisers”
such a beautiful, memorable and successful event.
We extend our appreciation to the City of Upper
Arlington Parks and Recreation for providing the splendid Amelita Mirolo Barn as a venue for the special Ohio
Humanities Council film preview, and to City BBQ for
the donation of the outstanding food and service. Our
thanks to our wonderful humanities scholars who took
part in a lively Q&A following the film presentation:
Rudy Christian, Dan Troth and Tim Anderson.
We began our work on “The Barn Raisers” in 2013,
fundraising and traveling throughout five states, visiting
historic barns; barns in various phases of restoration;
barns with unique stories; barns that are crumbling
and returning to the earth. We met and talked with
so many knowledgeable, hard-working and passionate
people. We never know where a story is going to take
us in the early part of our journey, and that is part of the
fun, adventure and excitement--we are ‘students’ eager
to learn.
We had many wonderful ‘teachers’ to guide us on
“The Barn Raisers”, and at the end of the journey we
find we have become passionate preservationists of these
American icons and the people who built them.
We extend a special thank you to Ric Beck, who believed in us from the very beginning and mentored us
along the way. We must acknowledge our exceptional
Ohio barn experts who sat for interviews and counseled
us: Tim Anderson, Scott Carlson, Rudy Christian, Pamela Gray, Tom O’Grady, and Dan Troth (who also provided us with magnificent historic photographs to be
used in the film). And, then there are those who opened
their barns to us and shared their wonderful stories—we
can never express enough our gratitude to you.
Please See RunDleS, Page 2
Friends of Ohio Barns • P.O. Box 203 • Burbank, Ohio • 44214 • website: www.friendsofohiobarns.org • e-mail: [email protected]
Photo credit: Dan Troth
VP Dan Troth shakes the hand of Randy Arehart of City BBQ in
front of the beautiful Ohio flag, signed by attendees at the Preview, that FOB presented to Randy for his generous donation of
excellent food for the event.
RunDleS, Continued from Page 1
We caught your ‘dreams’, Friends of Ohio Barns! Thank you
for being so patient and supportive of us and our work over the
years, and for being the Ohio fiscal sponsor for the project. Thank
you for all you have shared with us, all you have given us, and for
the incredible ‘showcase’ you provided “The Barn Raisers.”
We are looking forward to several more preview screenings
this fall in Kansas, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan. A special
premiere will take place at the National Geographic Giant Screen
at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa in early 2017, followed by film festivals and other screenings, DVD release and
PBS broadcasts.
Our hope is that people who rarely take note of the barn on
the rural landscape will ‘see’ and ‘care’ and maybe even ‘act’.
Your friends always,
Tammy & Kelly Rundle
Fourth Wall Films
Producers: “The Barn Raisers”
And FOB says Thank You too!
Our heart-felt thanks and gratitude go out to Jodi Osborne with the Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation department for helping us secure the amazing Amelita Mirolo
Barn for the Preview. And to Randy Arehart and City BBQ
for donating the tasty food! We also want to thank the many
donors who dropped checks and cash into our Donation Red
Barn — we greatly appreciate the assistance in making the
Preview a special event!
Page 2
My hat is off to the hard working members of Friends of Ohio
Barns’ board for organizing a fabulous evening for the preview of
the documentary “The Barn Raisers” produced by Tammy and
Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. It was a packed house of barn
enthusiasts. For some of us our passion for old barns was rekindled and for the newcomers new sparks of passion were ignited.
Next on the FOB agenda is a new event we are launching
this year, the Fall Driving Tour, created and organized by board
member Dave Hamblin. It is a new twist on barn touring. I encourage you to round up a car or van load of friends for this
exciting experience. If you have not already registered, call Dave,
419-947-1360.
November will see timber frame tradesmen gather at Slate
Run Farm for a workshop doing some repairs on a barn. For
more information call Ric Beck, 614-738-4302.
This is a great time of year to get out there and ride the rural
roads in the hunt for the endangered species we know as barnyard castles, prairie palaces, and historic agricultural icons. No
matter what you call them barns were the center of life on the
farm and the backbone of our nation as it grew and prospered.
Take pictures of your favorites and share them on Friends of
Ohio Barns’ Facebook page.
Taking this renewed energy and enthusiasm the FOB Board
has begun the quest for interesting barns and inspirational
speakers for another informative and fun filled Barn Conference in 2017.
Keep the Barn Doors Closed
Pamela Whitney Gray, President
Friends oF ohio Barns Board
President
Pamela Whitney Gray
Knox County
Vice President
Dan Troth
Delaware County (614) 989-1122
Secretary
Sarah Woodall
Trumbull County (330) 856-9053
Treasurer
Laura Saeger
Wayne County
(330) 465-7001
Newsletter
Tom O’Grady
Athens County
(740) 593-7552
Members
Ric Beck
Morrow County
(614) 738-4302
Gary Clower
Trumbull County (330) 720-6671
David Hamblin
Morrow County
Sarah Sisser
Hancock County (912) 604-5598
Affiliate
Chris Clower (IT)
Trumbull County (330) 989-4528
Friends of Ohio Barns
(740) 263-1369
(419) 947-1360
Metro Parks Slate Run Workshop
Think you might want to learn how to
do an in situ repair on a tie-beam? Or maybe you have dreamed about replacing two
water damaged posts and braces that frame
a door in a corn crib? Well, here is your
chance. November 2nd through the 6th,
Friends of Ohio Barns will be conducting
a Workshop along with Metro Parks Slate
Run Living Historical Farm to make repairs on two separate issues they have with
their barns. Rudy Christian and Ric Beck
will be the instructors with help from other
board members and we are looking for six
to eight “students” to participate.
The “Big Barn” at Slate Run is a
ground barn with multiple storage levels.
It sports a canted purlin post system. Rot
has been found at the bottom of one of
the purlin posts where it is morticed into
the principal tie-beam because the slant
of the purlin post has channeled the rain
entering through gaps in the siding into
the mortice over the years. Rudy has offered an infill repair solution that would
be both historical and long lasting. The
purlin post will have to be jacked up above
the point where the strut below meets the
tie-beam and only just enough to support
the purlin post and tie-beam joint. The
rotten area will be excavated, squared up
and a piece of rot resistant white oak will
be fitted and pegged into place.
The two story gambrel roof crib structure at Slate Run also has water damaged
timbers including posts and braces that
frame the door. The repair will be made
the same way the repair had been done in
the past, only this time rot resistant white
oak will be used instead of the red oak
used in the previous repair. The center
portion of the header and both door posts
and braces will have to be removed and replaced. This means layout, chisels, mallets
and planes! And to solve the water issue
and hopefully prevent another similar repair in the future, a “pentice” roof system
will be installed with copper flashing. This
project will also need cribbing and bracing to secure the structure while the door
frame is being repaired.
The farm crew at Slate Run is supplying all the materials and the hard labor
of removing the doors, siding and track
where needed before the workshop.
Altogether a great workshop is in the
works. Slate Run Metro Park is located
south of Canal Winchester on St. Rt.
Photo credits: Laura Saeger
Above: Rudy Christian explaining the process of the repair to be done.
Right: The Gambrel Crib Barn at Slate
Run.
674 North (Winchester Southern Rd).
All repairs will be done on site and in a
barn, not out in the weather. There is free
primitive camping on the park property
and lunches are included with paid registration fee. Please check the website often
as new information will be found there on
the Slate Run Workshop.
Please contact Ric Beck at 614-7384302 or email Ric at rbeck7736@gmail.
com for any questions.
The tentative schedule of the workshop is:
Wednesday, Nov. 2
Introduction to timber frame barn repair. Jacking and cribbing for timber removal.
Thursday, Nov. 3
Removal and assessment of damaged timbers. Layout of new timbers.
Friday, Nov. 4
Completion of layout work and begin cutting joinery.
Saturday, Nov. 5
Continue cutting joinery and begin installation of repair timbers.
Sunday, Nov. 6
Complete installation of repair timbers.
Costs for the workshop: $30 per day or $125 for the full workshop, includes lunch.
Primitive camping is available nearby. Bring your own camping gear.
Hotels and restaurants are a short drive from the site.
Equipment to bring:
Clothing for the weather, work boots (steel-toed a plus), gloves, mallet, pencils,
chisels (1/1/2” and 2”), framing square, tape measure, good hand saw, snacks
and water jug. We can provide hard hats and other tools necessary for the repairs.
Friends of Ohio Barns
Page 3
Change of County for the
2017 Ohio Barn Conference!
Photo credits: Barb Lang
This is how it looks to paint one of these big barns! It is being
painted in preparation for the 2017 Ohio Barn Conference.
Another possible stop on the
Barn Tour in 2017.
Music of legends Barn in
Holmes County.
Page 4
Friends of Ohio Barns
It is true. We have changed the location
from Licking to Holmes County. We are very
fortunate to have a member in Holmes County
that is so extremely enthusiastic about having
our annual conference in her county that she
went ahead and started painting her historical forebay barn that FOB designated as Barn
of the Year for Agricultural Use in 2010! The
Lang Barn (you all might remember Barb and
Loren Lang) was built around 1860 or 1870.
This barn sports eight sided posts located on
the second floor with “kitten ears”. It was also
painted red, white and blue in its early days
and was therefore called the “Civil War Barn”.
It has a history and I suspect we will hear all
about it as I expect this grand barn will be
on the Friday Barn Tour. The weekend hasn’t
changed. The Barn Tour will be on Friday,
April 28th and the Conference will be on Saturday, April 29th, 2017. We might even have a
JBD Workshop. Stay tuned.
Dating a barn
For two hundred years the size and
prominence of barns have played an important part in conveying the place of agriculture in the American way of life. Why
are all the old barns falling down? There
are several answers. The consolidation of
small farms into larger corporate farms
makes the number and style of old barns
no longer efficient for modern farming
operations. Conversion to crop specialization does not require large barns like
livestock farming does. Therefore, the old
barn’s stewardship and general maintenance is let go to the point of dereliction
and abandonment. Now, great strides are
being made to preserve old barns. Some
are converted to grain storage, big equipment storage, retail space, or fancy homes.
Many barns are being preserved just for
the sake of having an old barn. Others
are family treasures and are being saved
in honor of a father, grandfather, or greatgrandfather. A basic concept of the timber
frame barn is that it will last forever if it is
built with skill, careful craftsmanship, and
followed by good stewardship.
There are many unique and historical barns of significant design and quality
built in the 1700s and 1800s that deserve
recognition and should be saved. Barns
are often big. That means real expense to
roof, paint, or repair. Many barns have
been standing for over one hundred years,
and they are doing quite well. Depending
on the importance of the barn to family,
or to history, a program for repairs, improvement, and maintenance can be made
to suit the circumstances. Many considerations enter into a barn evaluation: the
barn’s age, the original purpose for the
structure (cattle, sheep, hogs, horses, hay
and grain storage), the type of structure
(interior and exterior), quality and style
of the original building, braces and timbers, type of wood used, quality of care in
the ensuing years, and the owner’s wishes.
Until the beginning of the nineteenth
century, in most cases, all members of a
barn would have been hand worked, either riven, split, or hewn down to the very
smallest of pieces. Some barns built as late
as 1820 can exhibit hand-hewn or handsplit braces and girts. Large barn posts and
beams were hand hewn up until the late
eighteen hundreds because saws were not
large enough to handle such large timbers.
Pit saws are known as far back as ancient times and were the only method
of producing lumber from large logs up
until about 1790 and into the very early
1800s. The first style saw used was the
frame saw. Later the whip saw was developed in America, streamlining the process
of changing the saw from one cut to the
next. The pit saw was so named because
one man stood down in a pit with the log
above him on a frame, while a second man
stood above the log on the platform. The
saw was pulled back and forth between the
two men. The result is kerfs made at an
angle to the lumber being sawn. Because
that it is a very slow and labor-intensive
process, the saw kerfs are quite irregular.
The next principal step in saw development came with the water-powered
up-and-down saw. From the turn of the
nineteenth century up to the Civil War,
many barns built during this period will
exhibit up-and-down sawn members. This
saw leaves kerfs perpendicular to the board
being sawn. Because it is a mechanical
process, the kerfs are very regularly spaced.
Smaller pieces, like knee braces and girts,
would be sawn during the earlier part of
this time period by small sawmills while
the larger timbers were still hand hewn.
Sawn posts, plates, sills, and summer
beams are found in the late 1800s. Thus,
saw kerfs become good indicators of age.
The history of the circular saw is traceable to 1777 when the first spinning saw
blade was invented by Samuel Miller in
England. The water-powered circular saw
appeared in the Ohio Territory around the
mid-nineteenth century. The first circular saw blades were small in diameter and
could handle only smaller timbers used for
members of a barn frame, such as braces
and girts. So another test of age is determined by the size of the saw blade, which
can be discovered by the diameter of the
saw kerfs. Technology advanced and saw
blades became larger in diameter to saw
larger timbers into posts and beams. As
sawmills grew large enough to handle longer and larger timbers, the more labor intensive hand hewing went by the wayside.
In the late 1800s a new type of saw
came into use, the band saw. It has become a major player in the sawmill industry. They produce vertical kerfs, much like
the up-and-down saw, but the marks are
much smoother and harder to detect because the blade travels at such high speed
and there is no reciprocating action — the
blade travels in only one direction.
Friends of Ohio Barns
Hand-forged nails have been found as
far back as 3000 BC. Sunken ships have
yielded iron nails dating from 500 AD.
The Pilgrims found iron ore deposits in the
swampland around Plymouth. Crudelyfashioned nails, cooking utensils, and farm
tools were the beginnings of industry in
the New World. Nails were made by small
operations until the invention of the first
nail cutting and heading machine by Ezekiel Reed of Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
In 1819 a business was established that
would become the Tremont Nail Company. Authentically-reproduced nails for historical reconstruction projects and repairs
can still be purchased. The first nails were
sold by the pennyweight, 8d or 10d — the
price per hundred. As prices changed, the
pennyweight came to denote size instead
of price. For example, a 2d nail is one inch
in length, an 8d nail is two and one-half
inches, and a 100d nail is eight inches long.
Nails themselves are fairly easy to identify and date, but for use in dating a structure, they are not very accurate. Nails were
a valuable commodity and were saved
from an old structure being torn down
and then reused in a newer building. So
when old nails are found, it is not necessarily an indication of their first use and,
therefore, not valid as a dating source for
the current building.
The newest technological way to date
a wooden structure is to have it dated by
dendrochronology. A dendrochronologist
will come to the barn and take small core
samples of logs, posts, and beams. The
samples will then be compared to an inventory of known samples, matching the
growth rings. Tree rings are measured to
0.001 mm. They can tell us many things,
among them are weather patterns for temperature, precipitation, and drought in the
region over the lifetime of the tree. From
this information, the year the tree started
to grow and the year in which it was harvested can be determined. Generally, a
barn would have been built the year following a tree’s harvest.
These are just a few of the more obvious clues used to date a barn or timber
frame structure. There are many other
subtle nuances that can also be used to fine
tune the dating process.
This article was edited and reprinted
from Ohio Barns Inside and Out by Charles
W. Whitney and Pamela Whitney Gray with
permission of Pamela Whitney Gray.
Page 5
The Rebuild
When my 48’ x 88’ bank barn and attached 48’ x 100’ free stall barn burned
down on November 17 after a brand new
employee backed a skid loader into a bale,
I lost not only an integral part of my cattle
housing complex, but also the foundation
on what I built my farm upon since 1986.
Along with the buildings, I also lost
over 600 large round bales of hay and straw
neatly stacked four high that had been recently stored on the second story. You try
not to think how you will manage to bed
over 500 head of cattle through the long,
cold winter ahead until the wheat straw is
baled in August. I am very thankful for all
the hay, corn stalk bales and money that
relatives, friends and neighbors donated to
help with the care of our cattle. But regardless, I can’t shake the worry that has
taken up residence inside my head.
But there was no time to mourn my
loss. The activity has been almost non-stop
since the morning of the fire. That day my
phone rang constantly. Vehicles, both gas
and horse powered, came and went from
before dusk until well after dark. I met
with insurance adjusters while I coordinated the daunting task of cleanup. Relatives, friends, and neighbors, both English
and Amish, showed up to help clear away
the twisted steel, burnt wood, bales and
equipment. Construction companies were
eager to begin the project of rebuilding.
Several days after the fire, new walls had
already been poured to replace the cracked
block walls of the flattened bank barn. I
literally worked night and day to get the
job completed while the unseasonably
mild weather cooperated with my efforts.
In just 30 days after the fire, the flat work
was poured.
In the meantime, another crew put
the final touches on a heifer free stall barn
that had been refurbished on an adjoining
farm. It wasn’t a big project to finish, but
it was something I had planned to do long
before now but never seemed to have the
time and/or extra funds to do it, especially
with the low price of raw milk. But the
fire had added a new sense of urgency to
complete the project which took only 18
days to finish. Once done, it helped alleviate the space issues with the cattle.
I had decided to hire a local construction crew to rebuild the bank barn. They
had built several one story barns for me
already and I trusted their workmanship.
Page 6
The Lang farmstead before the fire.
Photo Credits: Barb Lang
The new barn that was built after the fire.
They immediately built the trusses and began construction in the middle of January.
I had considered a new two story timber
framed barn but, in the end, settled on
a one story free stall barn with half loose
housing and half feed aisles. Now I simply
drive the silage wagon through. This has
been a big improvement over the old way
of dropping piles of silage down through
the second story and then hand shoveling
it so the cows can reach it.
By January 7, the old milk house had
been rebuilt for use as the farm office. Fortunately, the winter had been mild and the
workers were able to finish the new barn.
Still, with the temperatures below freezing
and without the shelter of the bank barn
with the attached free stall to block the
north and west winds, the cows competed
for the warmest sections of the existing
free stall barns.
I miss the grand bank barn. It’s been
almost 10 months and it has taken some
getting used to. Since the fire, we bought
my grandparent’s farm as well as my parents other farm. We have two new bank
barns to maintain. We are in the process
Friends of Ohio Barns
of painting our historical forebay bank
barn which was designated Barn of the
Year in 2010 by Friends of Ohio Barns.
Seeing the beauty of this treasure softens
the blow of losing the centerpiece of my
farm. We are sure glad that we decided to
move and restore this ultimate antique.
Last winter when I was picking up the
jack hammer for the skid loader with my
daughter Alexis, she said it best when we
drove up the driveway.
“It just won’t be the same will it Dad?”
She asked.
I shook my head in agreement and told
her, “No Alexis it won’t be the same, but
we will try to make it more efficient to
feed the animals and design things so the
hay barn does not affect our animal housing again.”
It’s been 10 months since the fire and
I think about the way the farm used to
look with the round roof two story bank
barn in the center. This picture will always
live on in my memory. I’m thankful that
no person or animal was hurt that day.
Things can always be replaced.
— Barbara Lang, on behalf of Loren Lang
Ohio’s Circus Barn on the Diamond O Ranch
In the early part of the 20th Century, Ohio was home to
the Diamond O Ranch, one of the premier showcases for exotic
animals and circus operations. The owner, Tony Diano, was the
son of an Italian emigrant who settled near the town of Canton,
Ohio.
In the 1920s the farm became a dairy operation but Tony
Diano had a love for the western way of life so when he took over
the ranch in the 1930s he started with Brahmans, Scotch Highlanders, and English Shorthorn. Soon American bison and longhorn cattle were added in the mix, and from there he obtained
animals from all over the world, small monkeys to elephants, a
giraffe, a herd of about a dozen zebras, including “Gonga” the
famous performing zebra, as well as llama, camel, hippo, rhino,
polar bear, hyena, cheetah, and many other rare animals. The
Diamond O was the only operation of its kind in the region and
became known as a circus farm.
Tony Diano build the Diamond O Ranch into the finest circus quarters in the country. He built a state-of-the-art bull barn,
a ring barn, and barns for the storage of circus wagons, trucks,
and circus equipment. These unique structures were heated from
wells on the property. The Ranch was well maintained and painted in his signature colors of red, green, and yellow. Many murals
of animal scenes graced the fences around the grounds and large
lithographs of famous show people hung in the clubhouse.
During the 1950s and 60s he had his own Diano Brothers
Circus and was associated with other circuses such as Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, World of Mirth Shows, and
Cristiani Bros. Circus, to name a few.
For years The Diamond O was a well-known showplace. The
farm was kept maintained and nice looking. But later on the
animals slowly disappeared from the fields and barns and the
beautiful paintings began to peel away. Gonga was gone, as were
the members of the zebra herd. The once fine herds of elephant
and buffalo are also memories of the past.
This article was rewritten by Pamela Whitney Gray from the
original by Homer C. Walton. Bandwagon, Vol. 6, No. 3 (MayJun), 1962, pp. 16-11.
Upcoming Events
Friends of Ohio Barns Fall Driving Tour
October 22nd and 23rd 2016
~~~~~
Slate Run Workshop
First week in November
~~~~~
Ohio Barn Conference XVIII
Friday, April 28th & Saturday, April 29th 2017
Photos from Bandwagon, Vol. 6, No. 3 by Homer C. Walton
“There may have been a time when preservation was
about saving an old building here and there, but those
days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving
communities and the values they embody.”
Richard Moe, President
National Trust for Historic Preservation
“...we have become a throwaway society. Instead of
honoring and preserving our past, we tear it down, shove
it aside, and just go on our merry way. Well, I won’t have
it. We have to stand firm for what we believe in. Only
in the most dire circumstances should a structure of
historical significance be demolished.”
Author: Beth Hoffman
Friends of Ohio Barns
Page 7
Students from Westerville School Push
Legislation Promoting Ohio Barns
Genoa Middle School
Students speaking to
representatives from
historical societies
and heritage
organizations from
around Ohio at the
Ohio Statehouse
on Statehood Day,
March 1st, 2016.
P.O. Box 203
Burbank, Ohio 44214
Friends of Ohio Barns
Photo credits: Tom O’Grady
Please recycle this newsletter. Share it with a friend.
Printed on recycled paper, of course.
FOB V.P. Dan Troth
at Ohio Statehouse
representing Friends
of Ohio Barns on
Statehood Day.
Five young ladies from genoa Middle School in
Westerville submitted a proposal to their teacher,
Debbie Pelling, to make the barn the official state
historic structure. Ms. Pelling contacted Sate Representative Anne Gonzales on the idea.
In the first reading for HB#143 to designate
the barn as the official historic structure of Ohio
it got bogged down by committee members asking
whose particular barn was being proposed. It was
more difficult than one might think, the challenge
of explaining that the iconic Ohio barn is every
historic barn in Ohio — not a particular barn on a
particular farm on a particular road in a particular
House District in Ohio.
The Middle School students understood the
proposal but it did not translate so well up the line.
Needless to say, it remains an outstanding idea.
What structure in Ohio better represents the foundations of this great state? Hopefully the effort will
continue to be pressed forward. Brilliant minds
coming out of Genoa Middle School.