Historic Barns of Bucks County
Preserve the Treasures of Our Cultural Heritage
Barns are the story of America. From the pioneer era to the heartland of modern rural America, barns have stood witness to our tale. The barn is one of the most familiar features of the American rural landscape. Functionally, a barn is a farm building for processing and storing agricultural products, animals, tools, and equipment, etc., but there is an emotional connection to barns that transcends their function. By representing tangible links to our past, barns serve as icons of our heritage.
Barns possess fundamental value that makes their preservation essential to the tapestry of a community. We are fortunate that barns are recognized as an important part of the heritage of Bucks County. But unfortunately, many of our historic buildings are still threatened with extinction. If not cared for, these cultural sites will be destroyed through neglect or overwhelmed by development. Generating a connection to barns and the history that they represent will lead to an appreciation, which will in turn ensure that our history stays on the land and is not confined to museums.
Castles in the Fields
Bucks County’s history and heritage is deeply rooted in its landscape, and we are fortunate to have much of it still intact. We recommend this self-guided driving barn tour of Bucks County, courtesy of the Heritage Conservancy, which will help you to explore our truly unique countryside while learning about its history along the way. Learning about and recognizing the beauty of barns will inspire you to help protect them. Please enjoy discovering the story of Bucks County through these iconic structures. Jeff Marshall of the Conservancy has written books and articles on barns and their preservation.
Types Of Barns Native to Bucks County
As you drive down the picturesque back roads of Bucks County, take notice of the beauty around you. You might notice that most of the barns you will see were constructed mainly of stone with some timber. The standard Pennsylvania barn is a blend of English and German barn-building traditions. Generally, they were built into a hillside as two-level structures in order to reach the upper level. Otherwise, a ramp or bank was constructed to reach the upper level. This process resulted in the adoption of the term “Pennsylvania Bank Barn.” Unlike the German barn, many barns in Central Bucks County have a closed forebay, which is a recessed stable wall under the barn superstructure rather than a projecting upper level over the barnyard.
Historic Preservation Consulting Services
Whether they are still being used on working farms or adaptively reused as houses or offices, barns remain relevant fixtures and guardians of the history of our county and country. Preserving structures is preserving time, acknowledging the history of the past, and remembering of how difficult it was for construction without modern day equipment. Encapsulating time not only allows remembrance but also allows future generations to acknowledge what the past presented and the skills it took to construct.
BUSTAMANTE ENGINEERS will listen to your concerns and evaluate the structural condition, diagnose, and offer, in most instances, a few restoration choices. We support you in your historic preservation from the first phone call through the rehabilitation, and also offer on-site monitoring services if necessary. If you have concerns with your historic building or are looking to make improvements, please click to contact us or call 215-340-6990 and let’s discuss how we may be of service to you.
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