1810 Threshing Barn

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Moved to the Rural Life Museum in 1991, the 1810 Threshing Barn was barn originally located on Ledyard Road in the Town of Venice. Most of the post and beam structure are original to the barn, but the roof and siding have been replaced. Typical of barns of the period, it is a three-bay barn, where the the center bay with doors at both ends and a tight fitting floor was used for threshing. The barn is only open to the public during the Wheat Harvest Festival usually held the first weekend in August, but the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. Tours can be arranged by contacting the GHA or the Town Historian at 315-364-8796.

Images

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The barn is typical of the barns that the pioneers built in this area.and demonstrates the post and beam architecture that has been in use for hundreds of years. This style was patterned after the barns that were in use in England for the storage and processing of grain crops. The main features of this type of barn are the three bays. One of the side bays was for the storage of hay for the animals. The other side bay generally had space for the animals and an overhead loft for the bundles of wheat and other cereal grains. The center bay was fitted with swinging doors at both ends and also had a tightly fitted floor. It was this bay and the threshing floor, that gave us the name of Threshing Barn.

The barn was moved to the RLM in 1991, and photographs of the barn raising can be viewed from the GHA website.

Currently the barn is used for the display and storage of older agricultural tools and implements, and open to the public during the Wheat Harvest Festival in August.

Sources

GHA Website