Save American Barns

By Wendy Komancheck
Published on January 30, 2009
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Two ranchers meet at the barn near Crested Butte, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains.
Two ranchers meet at the barn near Crested Butte, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains.
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Overhanging a feed trough, this old barn remains in great shape.
Overhanging a feed trough, this old barn remains in great shape.
BARN PHOTOS
Photographic Essay of the American Barn

John High, of Narvon, Pennsylvania, saves barns. He salvages them by tearing them down, board by board, and keeping everything, including nails, lumber and beams to move to another site. Through his meticulous razing, he believes he is rescuing history.

High explains that barns have stories. He says, “First, there’s a date stone, with the builder’s name, his wife’s name and the year that the barn was built. But I’ve seen initials and dates carved into wood beams. And, there are different types of barns. I’ve found different artifacts, such as hardware, an old sleigh up in the top part of a barn … all different pieces of history. The barns are treasure troves, with photos, letters hidden behind boards, all kinds of things.”

Before he was a barn saver, High worked for an excavating business, where he bulldozed barns and sent the materials to local landfills. He always felt a pang of sadness as these grand structures were destroyed and thrown away. “I imagined our forefathers working hard to build (those barns) only for (them) to end up in a landfill or burned. It’s a part of our history,” he says.

High started his barn-saving business in 1990 after he was laid off. Since he had already established himself by taking down barns over the weekends in nearby counties, he broadened his business and began working at it full-time. “It’s a labor of love. I enjoy getting up and going to work in the mornings. I feel for the people who hate their jobs,” he says.

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