COMMENTS
ON THE SANDUSKY COUNTY BICENTENNIAL BARN
By
Christine L Michael
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 19, 2002
GOVERNOR TAFT, COMMISSIONER LISKAI,
MEMBERS OF THE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION, ARTIST SCOTT HAGAN
AND
EVERYONE WHO HAS COME TO JOIN
US AS WE FINALIZE THE PAINTING OF THE BICENTENNIAL LOGO ON OUR BARN.
(STOP.
LOOK OUT OVER THE AUDIENCE. SMILE)
WELCOME.
THIS
DAY HAS BEEN A L-O-O-ONG TIME COMING…(pause)…
IN
FACT, ABOUT 200 YEARS FOR THE STATE OF OHIO AND OVER 120 YEARS
FOR OUR BARN.
THIS
IS A SIGNIFICANT DAY FOR US.
WE
ARE BOTH PLEASED AND HUMBLED TO PLAY A SMALL ROLE IN PRESERVING HISTORY AND
CELEBRATING THE STATE’S BIRTHDAY.
I
HAVE BEEN ASKED TO TELL YOU
A
LITTLE ABOUT THE BARN’S HISTORY,
WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE TO THE BARN,
THE
THINGS WHICH REMAIN TO BE DONE,
AND
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE USE OF THE BARN.
IT
IS APPROPRIATE THAT THIS
BARN HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO FEATURE THE BICENTENNIAL LOGO FOR SANDUSKY COUNTY
BECAUSE OUR BARN IS TRULY ONE
THAT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.
IT
WAS BUILT FOR ALL SANDUSKY COUNTY RESIDENTS AND OVER THE YEARS IT HAS
SERVED SEVERAL GENERATIONS.
OUR
THANKS TO THE OHIO BICENTENIAL COMMISSION FOR CREATING THE BARN PAINTING
PROJECT AS PART OF THE STATEWIDE CELEBRATION. THEY RECOGNIZED THAT BARNS ARE
AN INTEGRAL PART OF OHIO’S CULTURE AND A VISIBLE PART OF THE LANDSCAPE.
Unfortunately, barns succumb
to neglect, weather, and changing technology so they are not as permanent in
the landscape as they were 75 years ago.
CONSTRUCTION OF WOODEN BARNS ENDED ABOUT 1940 WHEN THE
UTILITARIAN, COOKIE-CUTTER STYLE POLE BARN WAS INTRODUCED.
ON THIS WE CAN ALL AGREE: wooden barns
represent a period in Ohio history and culture.
OUR
BARN HAS RECEIVED A SECOND LEASE ON LIFE, ONE THAT WILL ALLOW OUR
GRANDCHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN TO SEE AND USE A REAL WOODEN BARN.
NOW
About the Barn—
Our Historical Barn was constructed about 1884 and is included on the Ohio
Historic Inventory, Ohio’s permanent record of the built
environment, Listing places of historic or architectural merit.
Originally used
as a Dining Hall, it was later used as the Farm Products Building, then as
the Grange Building, and most recently it housed displays by the Historical
Society, Kin Hunters, and Parks District. It was closed to public use in
2000 because of safety concerns.
THE BARN HAD
BEEN MOVED TWICE SINCE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED AND THE LAST TIME --MORE THAN 60
YEARS AGO-- IT WAS TEMPORARILY PLACED ON WOODEN BEAMS WHICH DETERIORATED
LEAVING THE FLOOR SINKING INTO THE GROUND—ESPECIALLY WHERE GROUNDHOGS HAD
TUNNELED UNDER THE BUILDING. SINCE THE WEIGHT OF THE ROOF WAS NO LONGER
EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED, THE WALLS STARTED TO BOW.
WE KNEW
SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE TO PRESERVE THE BUILDING OR THIS UNIQUE WOODEN
STRUCTURE WOULD BE LOST TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
THESE ARE THE
THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE TO THE BARN:
§
THE ORIGINAL WOODEN FLOOR, DOORS AND WINDOWS WERE REMOVED
§
THE BARN WAS LIFTED ABOVE THE GROUND BY LINDSAY GRAHAM, AND
THE EMPLOYEES OF GRAHAM BUILDING MOVERS
§
TOM TILLE AND THE EMPLOYEES OF MATT EQUIPMENT POURED THE
CEMENT FOUNDATION WALL. AND YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT THIS WALL RESEMBLES OLD
HAND-HEWN STONE WALLS—JUST PERFECT FOR THE ERA OF THE BARN.
§
AFTER THE BARN WAS LOWERED ONTO THE NEW FOUNDATION, WATER
LINES AND DRAINAGE TILE WERE INSTALLED AND A 6 INCH CEMENT FLOOR WAS POURED.
§
THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AND THE ROOF WERE PAINTED BY
DAMMAN PAINT COMPANY.
MEMBERS
OF THE CARPENTERS LOCAL 2239 AND SEVERAL OTHER VOLUNTEERS HAVE GENEROUSLY
GIVEN OF THEIR TIME AND TALENTS.
THINGS
THAT NEED TO BE DONE YET INCLUDE:
BUILDING
NEW DOOR FRAMES AND DOORS (The Carpentry Class at Vanguard Vocational School
has agreed to build the new frames and doors)
REINSTALLING
THE WINDOWS WHICH HAVE BEEN REGLAZED AND PAINTED
IMPROVING
THE LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL OUTLETS
FINISHING
THE WALKWAY AND LANDSCAPING THE EXTERIOR OF THE BARN.
AND—OH
YES!—PERHAPS SELECTING AN APPROPRIATE NAME FOR OUR RENOVATED BARN.
Following
renovation, the building will be returned to public use during the fair and
flea markets, and will be used for rental or storage during the off-season.
It will also
serve as a visible example of Victorian era craftsmanship.
AFTER GOVERNOR TAFT
APPLIES HIS BRUSHSTROKES TO OUR LOGO, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
AT THE BUILDING.
Designed by local
Victorian architect J.C. Johnson, who also designed the addition to the
Hayes Presidential home, with revisions by Samuel H. Shively, who also
designed Grace Lutheran Church and St. Ann Church in Fremont, the building
is Gothic-Stick style and boasts a clipped gabled roof. It is constructed of
shiplap and has exterior shutters to cover the windows.
Significant
architectural features include cambered edges on the doors, windows and
corners as well as elaborate Gothic carpenter millwork at the eaves on the
east and west ends.
IN
CLOSING, I WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH THESE THOUGHTS:
As
wooden barns disappear from Ohio’s landscape, her citizens will lose a
visible connection with their agricultural heritage.
So,
too, will the historic record be lost, and with it, the opportunity to teach
a new generation about their shared heritage and an important aspect of
Ohio’s history and culture.
Old
barns, furthermore, are often community landmarks and make the past present.
Such buildings embody ethnic traditions and local customs. More
people now recognize that, as barns disappear, a valuable part of our
heritage is lost.
Barns
are tangible reminders of our cultural heritage; they speak about the past;
they contribute to the aesthetic quality of the local landscape, and in some
cases, promote local tourism;
Old
barns are not terminally obsolete, but are significant non-renewable
resources which can be useful and productive when put to a variety of other
uses.
THIS
STEWARDSHIP OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES REQUIRES COMMITMENT, DEDICATION, AND YES
MONEY $$$$.
WE HAVE DONATION CONTAINERS HERE AND
WILL APPRECIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HELP US SAVE OUR BARN.
OKAY, I
HAVE TOLD YOU
§
ABOUT
THE HISTORY OF OUR BARN,
§
WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE TO SAVE OUR BARN,
§
AND
APPEALED FOR YOUR FINANCIAL DONATION.
NOW WE LOOK TO GOVERNOR TAFT WHO WILL
COMPLETE THE PAINTING OF THE OHIO BICENTENNIAL LOGO.
THANK
YOU!
