Tale of Two Barns: Created with Heritage Restorations

The Tale of Farmview’s Two Beautiful Old Restored Barns

Heritage Restorations Lays Down New Roots for Two Historical New York Barns in Madison, Georgia

Today, we tell you a tale of two old Dutch and English barns. Have you ever noticed that our Farmview store is shaped just like a barn? It isn’t an illusion. Actually, the Market is two historically restored barns that were relocated from upstate New York. We worked with Heritage Restorations, who located the two barns and shipped them to Georgia. Once here, Heritage carefully erected and restored the barns piece by piece to create the frames for our Marketplace.

The video below features Heritage Restorations’ Founder, Kevin Durkin, who shares the history of the barns and barn building.

From New York to Georgia: An Old “English” Barn on the Move!

Our barns began their journey in the Catskills region of New York. Our first barn came from Fonda, New York. The barn is an English style, and dates from the 1850s. Not only is it made of incredibly sturdy timbers, the English barn is an important remnant of the Industrial Revolution. Before that time, farms and their structures were very small. After the Industrial Revolution, the economy and productivity soared and farms suddenly became large-scale operations. Our English barn is 40-feet wide and 60-feet long and houses our butcher shop. The huge timbers and soaring ceilings have a beautiful symmetry that makes this restored English barn the perfect entryway into Farmview Market.

Second “Dutch” Barn at Farmview Dates Back to 1700s

Don’t be fooled by our second barn’s smaller structure! This barn is of Dutch origin from Stone Arabia, New York, and houses our grocery. Dating between 1750 and 1770, Durkin refers to this period and the architecture of this old barn as the “the pinnacle of barn building.” The structure is complete with original wall plates and a purlin that is one solid 50-foot beam. A purlin, by the way, is the main timber that supports the roof. Imagine the craftsmanship it takes to create a 50-foot, stable beam from one piece of wood.

Old Barns Originally Built to Be Moved, Last for Centuries

Heritage Restoration sees the process of moving old barns as a way of preserving our history. In fact, it’s an American tradition! Barns were built to last for centuries and to be used as farming equipment. But, they were also built to be easily taken apart and constructed elsewhere, should the land prove to be fruitless. “We learned more about these forgotten monuments to the roots of America’s agrarian past,” said Durkin.

Our building represents who we are and what we value. According to Durkin, “Each of these buildings is a unique testimony to a forgotten age of the enduring values of hard work, care and hand craftsmanship.” Preservation is in our DNA – from natural and organic farm practices to finely butchered, responsibly sourced meats, to these beautiful, one-of-a-kind, historically preserved barns.

Step inside Farmview today and see for yourself.