The Great Vermont Barn Census

by Caroline Abels

If you love barns, or history, or just love roaming around Vermont talking to people, you may enjoy participating in the Vermont Barn Census. Launched in August by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and other organizations, the Census invites volunteers to talk with barn owners about their old barns, then enter information about the architecture and past uses into an online database. The idea is to create a descriptive catalogue of Vermont’s estimated 5,000 barns before they succumb to old age, weather, or demolition. Volunteers can work individually, in pairs, or through organized groups, and plenty of information on barn architecture is provided; you don’t have to be an expert to participate.

	Layne Tharp, a garden designer in Montpelier, jotted down her observations of a Montpelier barn during the Census’s first official survey weekend in early August.T
What was this barn built for? Is it an English barn or a Yankee barn? Does it have a gable or gambrel roof? These are some of the questions volunteers can answer when they survey barns for the Census.“
	David Murphy, owner of Splendid Oak Farm in Montpelier, shared details of his barn with two Census volunteers.
The cupola in this old barn was probably built to allow methane gas from cows to escape safely.
	Why is this barn doorknob so ornate?
And was this ring appendage used for tying up horses?a

To participate in the Census, call 802-828-1220, e-mail mike.plummer@state.vt.us or go to www.uvm.edu/~barn/

Caroline Abels is the editor of Local Banquet.

Photos of ring, doorknob, and side of barn by Layne Tharp;
other photos by Caroline Abels.