Local history: Harnessing manpower essential for barn-raisings
When non-farm people travel in the area surrounding Creemore or any rural setting, they will notice large buildings perhaps with a hip roof, close to most farm dwellings. The farm family in the past, besides needing a house to live in, had to have a barn to house their livestock and store their produce. These barns are not needed in today’s farming practice and a lot of them are in poor condition. Most people today would assume that it would not be a problem to build them with today’s technology. However, 100 to 170 years ago, they had to substitute machinery for manpower in what was called a barn-raising.
To start the farmer built, a stone and mortar foundation, perhaps 40 by 60 feet, and about seven feet high which became the stable to house the livestock. A plank ceiling was installed on this foundation and become the thresh-flour of the barn and was quite sturdy as it had to support the hay, grain and threshing machine.
He would cut and square logs from his nearby wood lot, up to 60 feet long and at least eight inches square. He then hired an experienced framer, to cut and notch these timbers, so that they would fit together forming the frame of the barn. The notched parts were inserted into rectangular holes cut in the other timbers, and a one-inch hole was then drilled through both so that a hardwood spike could be driven in to tightly secure it. No nails were used.
After the framer had everything ready, the farmer would let all the surrounding farm community know that he was having a barn-raising. They would respond by dropping everything and coming to help. They usually brought their wives, who brought food, and the kids tagged along to play. With all that manpower the timbers were hauled into place on top of the thresh floor and assembled into parts of the barn frame. They then pushed it into a vertical position with pike-poles.
Pike-poles were sturdy wooden poles of various lengths, with an iron spike embedded into one end. The lack of hoisting machinery was made up for by manpower, with several men pushing up one timber. After the first section was securely braced the others were raised in a similar manner. Finally, two large long square timbers, called plates were installed on the top of each side at the eave completing the main timber frame.
The next step was the roof. Two timbers smaller than the plate, called purlins, were erected between the plates and the roof ridge to support the rafters. In a hip-roofed barn, there were two rafters end to end, to replace a single one. They came together at the purlin which could then be placed higher than straight rafters to increase the volume area.
Once the frame was complete the men installed the roof sheeting and finally the shingles, if time permitted. The men then sat down to a sumptuous meal that the neighbouring ladies had prepared. There was usually someone in the community that could play the fiddle, so the day ended with a dance on the newly installed thresh floor.
Photo: An example of a barn with a hip roof, in Anten Mills.
