BUCKLAND — The Buckland Historical Society believes it’s up to the community to protect something when it’s the last of its kind.
That’s precisely what the Historical Society hopes the community will do for the extremely rare barn it owns on the Wilder Homestead, located on Route 112. The society is well on its way into a capital campaign to raise $500,000 to completely restore the circa 1798 structure.
“We have concluded our quiet phase of the campaign and are now asking the public for help,” said Sue Samoriski, Capital Fund chair for the Buckland Historical Society. State Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has allocated $75,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding toward the restoration, with an anonymous donor contributing another $75,000.
Michael McCusker, president of the Buckland Historical Society, previously explained the entire restoration project will help address issues with the barn’s roof, foundation, siding and interior timber frame, as well as improve the overall weatherization to allow for year-round use. Stevens & Associates, an architecture, civil and structural engineering consulting firm from Brattleboro, Vermont, conducted an architectural study of the barn paid for by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
There are plans to replace the barn’s threshing bay — where wheat berries are removed from the stalk and chaff — as well as the hayloft. A garage attached to the barn, constructed much later, will also be transformed, with the installation of fully accessible bathrooms planned.
For the construction, a contracting company will either disassemble the entire barn, reconstructing it piece by piece while replacing parts as needed, or will lift up the barn using hydraulic power jacks and replace sections, according to McCusker. The Historical Society plans to use timber from the forest behind the barn to replace its beams.
Jack Sobon, a timber frame specialist, explained why this barn is so rare in a video the Historical Society produced. The barn was constructed with tying joints, a practice invented in the 1200s that stopped being used in the 1820s. There are original carpenters’ numbering marks done with a race knife on some of the barn’s beams. All beams were hand-cut with an ax, as opposed to using a sawmill.
“Either there wasn’t a sawmill in the area or the builders were incredibly frugal,” Sobon said.
Now that it has entered the public stage of fundraising efforts, the Historical Society will host private fundraising events for larger donors and community fundraisers open to the public. Eighteen volunteers have mailed 1,000 envelopes to people in the community seeking donations.
The Historical Society runs many community programs from the Wilder Homestead barn. It hosts an annual field trip with Mohawk Trail Regional School students and a Colonial Day complete with demonstrations. In addition to the barn and attached garage, Samoriski said the Wilder Homestead sits on 43 acres that is rented to a local farmer. A shoemaker shop was transported to the property in 1991, and there is also a colonial home on the property.
Donations for the Barn Capital Fund can be sent to P.O. Box 88, Buckland, MA 01338. Inquiries and requests for presentations can be directed to Buckland Historical Society President Michael McCusker at 413-834-3477.