How Does a Barn Raising Work?
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What is a barn raising?
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A barn raising is an event in which the members of a community join together to help build a barn for one of its members. In a barn raising, all members of the community are expected to offer their labor for free to help. A barn raising occurs when there is a need for a new barn within the community.
History
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Barn raising has been a tradition dating to the 18th century. This event was an important part of everyday life for people during the 18th and 19th century because farming was the main source of survival. The network of roads was not very well established during this time, so hired labor was not an easy commodity to come by. This grew a need for members of the community to come together to make up the difference in labor needs.
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How does it work?
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Depending on the size of the barn, a barn raising can be either a 1- or 2-day event. Before the day of the raising, the family that needs the barn will buy the materials, and much of the basic structure will be built in pieces in preparation. The family will then hire one person to be in charge of supervising the construction of the barn. On the day of the barn raising, the entire community comes out to help. In olden times, only men were the builders of the actual barn; women and children helped by providing food and water for the workers. Participating in a barn raising was not optional during the 18th and 19the century.
At the end of the barn raising, the barn is turned over to the family. The only incurred cost for the family is the cost of materials and maybe one building specialist. The rest of the labor is offered for free by the community. In the 18th and 19th centuries, community members who refused to help with a barn raising often had social repercussions such as being censored in the community.
Barn Raising in today's society
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As most communities had barns already built and the need for barns decreased, barn raisings slowly started to decline. However, there are still communities that practice the tradition of barn raising, such as the Amish. This process can be seen in the picture provided.
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- Photo Credit http://www.greaterohio.org
Comments
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awkword
Sep 13, 2009
Depending on the size of the Barn, 3 or more Bents would be built and raised into place using Jin-pole or A-frame. A block & tackle from the Jin-pole or a long rope over the A-frame powered by a sturdy Mule or several neighbors was used to haul a Bent into place. Spandrel Beams would tie the Bents together, and of course the Ridge Beam. A good time would be had by all!
