Chapter 4: The Barn That Endured

The Ellsworth barn was built to last.

Constructed using old-growth, "first cut" timber, its massive beams measure ten inches square and twenty-five feet long. The trees from which they were cut were already more than 180 years old when they were harvested. Today, those same timbers are estimated to be more than 320 years old, and they remain remarkably strong with little evidence of decay.

Unlike many trees harvested today, these old-growth trees grew slowly over centuries, producing dense, durable lumber. Much of today's lumber comes from second or third-generation forests with younger trees that contain a higher percentage of juvenile wood, making them less dimensionally stable than the timber used to build this barn.

The craftsmanship inside the barn remains clearly visible.

Its frame was built using traditional mortise and tenon construction, secured with wooden pegs. Not a single nail holds the structural frame together. Nails were used only to fasten the exterior siding, and many of the original square-cut steel nails remain in place today.

The original roof was covered with wood shingles until around 1960, when Cecil Ellsworth, thirteen-year-old James Ellsworth, and Leo Kieffer replaced it with an aluminum roof. Their work helped preserve the barn for future generations.

Above the main barn door is a symbol believed to have been placed there for protection and to ward off evil, a tradition found on many historic barns.