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[Part Two of an ongoing series following the renovation of the Richmond Monitor Barn.] |
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 Click here for larger image These hand-hewn round pegs have been cataloged and stored. They will be used in the reassembly of the monitor barn.  >Click here for larger image This photo displays a close-up interior view of the roof construction.  >Click here for larger image Scarf joints are characterized by one or more angular cuts at the ends of the joining members. Farmers were able to construct long sills and plates in large barns constructed after the mid 1800's with the use of these overlapping scarf joints. [from A Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, by Thomas Visser]. |
The dismantling of the "west" monitor barn in Richmond went smoothly and on schedule. In fact, parts of the barn are in better shape that expected. As a result, slightly more of the original barn will be incorporated into the reconstructed barn than was originally projected.
With a crew that varies between 3 and 6 people, the company of Jan Lewandoski Restoration and Traditional Building methodically and painstakingly brought down the majestic barn piece-by-piece. Wearing hi-tech climbing harnesses, rock climbing helmets, and insulated Carhartts, this highly skilled crew peeled back the layers of craftsmanship and time from this agricultural monument. The process was part demolition, part archaeology, and part surgery. At times they wielded chainsaws and sledge hammers to excavate through the barn's timbers that were rotten and too far-gone to save. The rest of the time, they carefully drove out the wooden pegs that have locked the timber frame in place for nearly a hundred years.
The salvageable material, including the hand-hewn round pegs, is being cataloged and stored in a barn about 400 yards away. Project manager, Steve Libby of the Richmond Land Trust, reports that everyone involved is impressed with the stunning level of craftsmanship that went into the building of the barn. According to Libby, "we all knew that the level of craftsmanship [in the barn] was high, but the deteriorated condition sometimes masked that. Taking it apart really reveals the high level of craftsmanship, and justifies all the work that is being done to honor this craft." The attention to detail was exquisite in the construction of the Richmond Monitor Barn, right down to the trim work on the monitor roof, a part of the barn that the builders would never have dreamed would be closely examined a century later. Libby described the roof as being, "fitted like furniture with lots of scarf joints" - an astonishing level of craftsmanship for the roof of a barn. |
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In a timber frame building, all of the frame's elements are vitally important to the integrity of the structure. The Richmond Monitor Barn had to be dismantled from the top down, all the while shoring up the walls and floors with temporary bracing. Much of the time the crew dismantling the barn is walking on proverbial eggshells for fear that the ailing structure could give way and collapse. Other times, they are amazed at the remarkably pristine condition of some of the elements. But the crew never looses sight of the gravity of the situation in which they are working - a gravity that threatens to pull the structure to the ground at any time. In a brief moment outside of the barn (a moment in which he never took his eyes off of the barn), Mr. Lewandoski commented on the project. He reflected on the value of saving the barn as part of Vermont's heritage, acknowledging that the project was extraordinary and well worth the effort. Yet he emphasized the stress of dismantling a huge and structurally compromised barn, "It's terrifying in there. Terrifying." And with that, Lewandoski climbed back into the barn to return to work.
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 Click here for larger image Foundation stones from the barn are being removed and stockpiled. These stones will be used in the rebuilding of the barn. |
The barn was completely dismantled in the first part of January 2001 - and just in time. After a severe winter with one of the largest amounts of snowfall on record, several barns and modern buildings alike were damaged.
Steve Libby of the Richmond Land trust stated in a recent conversation, "It's hard to imagine it [the barn] would have sustained the winter. We were very lucky."
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Part I of our story
You can also visit the Richmond Land Trust Monitor Barn Project |
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Thomas Visser's book "A Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings"is published by the University Press of New England. |
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Sources: - Richmond Land Trust. - Jan Lewandowski Restoration and Traditional Building Co. - Thomas Visser, The University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program. Article and Photos by Chris Slesar, Archaeologist. |
