The Persistence Foundation - Nipmoose - Scottish Barn
Photographs by Constance Kheel
In the Scottish Barn, the posts are tapered, with their tops wider than their bases (the tops of the posts measure approximately 19 inches and slim down to about 9 inches at their bases). The tie and plate beams are seated on the wide posts, and all three beams are joined together in an ingenious arrangement of mortise holes and tenons.
The Scottish Barn’s enormous timbers are pinned together 14 feet off the ground. Raising each beam was a feat. Remarkable engineering skills were requisite for the early builder who worked without benefit of modern machinery.
Dating to the 18th century, the Scottish Barn measures 30 feet by 60 feet. Like many other early barns, it was built almost entirely with white oak beams. Its steep roof harks back to a time when thatch was used for roof materials.
The Scottish Barn has a central bay designed for threshing grain. Each long side of the barn is equipped with wide, rotating doors for wagons to enter and exit the thrashing bay. The largest area of the barn was dedicated to hay storage, while a smaller area housed milk cows.
The “secret joinery” of the Scottish Barn originated abroad. It has been conjectured that its cultural origins can be traced to Scotland. This remains unconfirmed, as there is insufficient research relating to which style of timber framing derived from which country.
To learn more about the Scottish Barn, please visit the link Before, which features the barn as it appeared in 2000, when purchased by The Persistence Foundation.
Also visit During for information about the extensive restoration of the Scottish Barn. To see more photographs, visit the Historic Barns of Nipmoose Gallery.