The National Historic Register of Historic Places record of the Ruben Gridley Wright Farm Complex (Ref. No. 83001659) cites a one and one-half story barn as a contributing structure to the historical significance of the farm. The historic registry application, drafted by local historian Mari Runfola nominating the R. G. Wright Farm Complex, hardly captures the unique character and exceptional craftsmanship of the venerable landmark. The Wright barn, like every purpose-built structure with an agricultural function, was an expression of the owner’s and builders’ ingenuity in its creation, and still is, an enduring history of the farming activities that thrived and evolved through the years.
It is regrettable that these remarkable old buildings are being surrendered to natural decay or demolished as an expedient to future development or farm modernization. Even in our zest to restore the Wright farm complex to a useful purpose, we largely ignored the barn and deferred any substantive repair until restoration work on the main house and other buildings was substantially complete. Only in the recent two years have we really begun to explore the condition of the structure and begin to understand it’s remarkable construction and history. As we attempt to bring the building back from the brink of collapse, capturing both the unique character of this building and our efforts to restore its functionality has the makings of an interesting story.
From a safe distance, the barn, as we confronted it in 2016, didn’t immediately elicit feelings of farming nostalgia or prideful ownership. Rather, it appeared rather morbid, neglected and an embarrassing eyesore that screamed “sucker” when asked by friends wondering what drew us to the property. By necessity, we immersed ourselves in rehabilitation and restoration of the house and consciously opted to defer work on the barn until the house was suitable for B&B guests. Three
years passed and the tired bones of the aging barn continued to strain against the elements whilst we were otherwise occupied. We opened the house to B&B guests in fall 2019 and soon thereafter started plotting rehabilitation of the barn along with a deliberate agenda for putting the land into productive farm use. The COVID pandemic provided motivation to get started on barn projects owing to the forced reduction in social interaction and travel. A few quiet afternoons poking around the foundation and structural framing resulted in a wake-up call of sorts and realization that continued neglect would be a fast track to the barn’s demise. Time spent examining the barn revealed fascinating clues about its construction and use and provided deeper insights into the farming endeavors and operation of the farm as Ruben Wright originally intended it. We were infused with another dose of motivation early in 2022 when Governor Houkel signed into law a barn restoration tax credit that fit neatly into our plans and offered substantial financial incentive to get the job done!
The exact date of the barn’s construction has not revealed itself yet. But based on early photographic records of the house and the construction materials and methods employed in its construction, it is likely the barn was built circa 1884 concurrent with construction of the house. The layout of the building was typical of multi-purpose barns built at a time when mechanization was being introduced in all facets of field crop production and livestock management. Surviving features such as hay mangers, grain bins, cow stanchions and hay pully tracks are clues to the variety of livestock and field crops produced by the original owners.