Society prepares to share history of barns
By Nora Cardec

This English-style bank barn, built in 1840 by Enoch Whitmore; now owned by the Feen family, is one of the seven barns available to visit during the barn tour sponsored by the Ashburnham Historical Society.

Time travel is impossible to do unless you visit an old structure, and of course, bring your imagination.

Seeing old wooden planks, rusted nails, used farming equipment, weathered beams, doors and windows can transport you into a distant era where daily life was distinctly different from today's life. And that is precisely what the Ashburnham Historical Society wants you to experience on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Most buildings not only reflect the period when farming was the main livelihood for families, they also display the main characteristics of period architecture.

"Barns are a window into early New England architecture as houses were built essentially the same way," said Jim Whidden, president of the historical society.

He added that in the barns people can see the raw materials used in construction in those days.

For the second time this year, Ashburnham Historical Society will sponsor a barn tour as part of its commitment to history preservation and education.

The first tour of its kind was held in the spring.

"A lot of people are not exposed to barns anymore," Whidden said. "It's an educational and fun event, which in part fits our mission statement to bring the history of the town to our residents."

The free, self-guided tour includes seven barns, which are still being used to house farm animals, equipment and hay.

Barn owners and historical society members will greet you at each barn and provide you with information on each facility including its uses, prior owners, renovation, expansion or construction efforts and overall significance.

Although there are many more barns in town, Whidden said the society used specific criteria to attract participation. The criteria is that barns must be early New England architecture, currently in use and of course, the owners must want to showcase their barns.

The barns are mostly historic structures with many of the original characteristics still intact.

One used to be the building for a local chair company. It was built in the mid- 1800s and it is now known as the Victorian Stables.

One of the barns on the tour can only be seen through windows and cracks on the walls, as time and weather have eroded some of its stability.

The Feens' barn, the largest barn in town at the time of its construction, remained in the Whitmore family for 105 years. Several families used the property as a summer retreat for a number of years after the Whitmore family moved, until the Feens purchased it in 1970. One important aspect of the entire property, according to Robert Feen, is the association the original owners had with the Underground Railroad - a reason it is currently in the process of being added to the National Historic Registry.

The newest barn, which belongs to the Simoneau family and was built in 2002, was included in the tour because it is actively used and it maintains a New England rustic charm.

Historical value is what ties the standing barns. Whidden said the tour offers participants

- particularly younger visitors - an opportunity to learn about the history of the town, about its agrarian beginnings and a simpler lifestyle.

Barns, which are rapidly disappearing in small Massachusetts towns, are a tangible connection to community life and early settlers - their contributions, struggles and survival mechanisms.

The barn tour will start at the Meetinghouse where participants will receive a map with directions to each building.

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Nora Cardec is a correspondent for The Community Journal and can be reached at: ncardec@yahoo.com or (978) 827-3386. Ext. 10.