Restoring and preserving old structures

Most barns don't last as long as those built in the 1800s, a spokesman said.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LIBERTY -- Much of the heritage surrounding Ohio barns built in the 19th century needs to be restored, and many people who own old barns should be more aware of how to preserve and extend the life of their structures.
Those were two of the core premises behind the three-day, seventh annual Ohio Barn Conference, which wraps up today at the Holiday Inn MetroPlex, 1620 Motor Inn Drive. The event was set up to promote the importance of the state's historical barns, discuss their maintenance requirements and encourage programs for their conservation, organizers said.
Kicking off the program was a daylong bus tour Friday, put on by the Friends of Ohio Barns. Participants were taken through seven Trumbull County barns with historical significance -- two each in Kinsmen and Vienna as well as barns in Hartford, Hubbard and Bristol.
More than 100 barn owners and others attended Saturday's conference, which featured a variety of experts who spoke on barn and farm preservation, how to save a barn, agricultural tools and other topics. The seminar also featured a demonstration on a frame-repair technique as well as exhibits and a book store.
Grass-roots effort
Rudy Christian, president of Friends of Ohio Barns, said his statewide organization is trying at the grass-roots level to show people how to preserve their barns. About three years ago, the federal government passed a law that was to provide about $25 million for barn rehabilitation and agricultural needs, among other things. Nevertheless, no funds were set aside, so FOB members encourage people to contact their political leaders about barn restoration, he noted.
John Woodall, an FOB member from Vienna and co-organizer of the conference, added that most modern barns are designed to house machinery and for other single purposes, and don't last as long as those built in the 1800s. Many older structures "reflected a different style of farming," he said.
Woodall, his wife, Sarah, and Gary Clower organized the program.
One of the hands-on demonstrations was a timber-frame repair and restoration project with the original wood that was used to build a barn in the 1830s or 1840s. Ric Beck of Columbus, an FOB board member and firefighter, explained that, after making repairs, fittings and modifications to the original wood, he plans to use it to build a new barn.
Tim Mason, FOB's vice president, said that an overall purpose of the annual event is to give barn owners a better understanding of what goes into maintaining an old structure, and to stress that in most cases, an old barn is worth saving. In many cases, he added, owners also can do a lot to extend the life of their structures.