The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society has a new barn. It took only two days for dozen Amish craftsmen, working alone, to raise it. The traditionally built barn makes a perfect sister to the agricultural society’s other barns, though in this case all the wood is new.
Dale McClure, president of the agricultural society, said the barn will be used in two ways. One half of it will be dedicated to a growing collection of antique farm machinery that right now is scattered about the Island in need of a home. “It will make a nice little museum,” he said. The other half will be used for livestock and will accommodate the overflow of animals that come from the barn next door.
The building measures 96 by 52 feet and is a good distance away from the main agricultural hall barn. It is nestled near the tree line where the livestock barn stands.
A barn-building construction firm came up from Leola, Pa. They brought their wives and children. Thirty-two filled an air-conditioned bus for the ride. While men worked on the barn in nearly all of the daylight hours, their wives and children were nearby. Some of the children took charge of the society’s electric golf cart and rode around the fairgrounds while their parents worked.
Katherine Long of West Tisbury, who was charged with attending to the needs of the visiting families, said the Amish were extremely private about their visit and arrangements were being made to make sure they felt comfortable. Families stayed in private homes. The agricultural hall became their domain for daytime activities and meals. She said the builders would start working at sunrise, around 6:30 a.m. Access to the working was limited.
On Wednesday night a big clambake dinner was prepared for the Island guests in the agricultural hall and it was attended by society members acting as hosts.
Among the guests was David Flanders, a key contact in making the Amish firm accessible to the society. Mr. Flanders had built a barn using the same firm two years ago.
Mr. McClure said a lot of energy went into the decision to hire the Amish firm to do the work. The society had set a standard for fine looking 19th century barns when it built the first post and beam barn, now the hall, in November of 1994. Back then it took hundreds of volunteers and a local crew to build that barn.
The new barn, the third on the property, is built the old-fashioned way with mortise and tenon joints. Hardwood pegs were used instead of nails. What is significantly different about this barn and the old hall is that it is all new wood and offers great longevity. Its pieces came together like a nice work of new furniture.
Mr. McClure said the society researched a number of options on building the barn. They’ve wanted the barn for years. He said Mr. Flanders’s connections to the traditional barn raising community in Pennsylvania was the essential ingredient in getting the project started.
On Wednesday night, Mr. McClure stood before those gathered after the thank you clambake dinner and he praised the work of the builders. He said the society was deeply pleased. He said what he saw almost brought him to tears. His comments drew a loud applause from the more than 60 people in the audience.
The barn raisers planned on finishing today with time off to tour more of the Island.
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