Old Barns in the New World: Reconstructing History [Paperback]

Richard Babcock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

Follow Richard Babcock through a barn door into America's colonial past!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Richard Babcock Reconstructs History

In the annals of architectural restoration, the story of Richard Babcock is unique, just as are the barns he has saved from the bulldozer of decay

Born in Western Massachusetts and reared on a farm, Richard Babcock learned from this grandfather to appreciate the importance of New England's oldest barns, built three hundred years ago by farmers using techniques they brought with them to the New World. Even more important, Babcock has learned to dismantle, move, and rebuild these barns, using these very same techniques. Over the years, he has built up a fine collection of such ancient barns, both on his own property in Hancock, Massachusetts, and elsewhere -- at Philipsburg Manor, Macomber Farm, the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center, and for individuals who appreciate these fine structures.

In the course of building barns and training his sons and others in the time-honored techniques, Babcock has explored the history of the barns themselves, leading him to controversial conclusions about the dates and nationalities of the earliest settlers of the Northeast and the reliance of some on slave labor. In a book illustrated with photographs and filled with fascinating detail, this is Babcock's story and the story of the buildings he loves best.

"A master of barn building and barn lore revitalizes for us the central role of these great creaking structures in American history. Intertwined in this fascinating account is the life -- both triumphant and bitter -- of Richard Babcock. After reading this unforgettable book, you will never pass old barns again without knowing about the people who built them, the uses to which they were put, and the landscape around them."

-James MacGregor Burns

Richard W. Babcock lives among his barns in Hancock, Massachusetts, but travels extensively to inspect, dismantle, and rebuild old structures. Co-author Lauren R. Stevens has published five books on environmental topics.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Preface: Most children growing up today do not know what it is like to play in a barn. They don't know the musty, sweet smell of the hay, or the exciting, comforting sounds of large animals shifting their weight and rattling their stanchions. They haven't had the chance to marvel at cobwebs as thick as hawsers draped on ancient, mysterious, wooden wagons and leather harnesses in unused sections of the loft. They don't know what it feels like to swoop on a swing with impossibly long ropes from the dark side of the barn to daylight outside, or the daring sensation of leaping down from the loft into loose hay.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkshire House Publishers (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936399791
• ISBN-13: 978-0936399799
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,805,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for students of colonial era American architecture., June 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Barns in the New World: Reconstructing History (Paperback)

In Old Barns In The New World: Reconstructing History, co-authors Richard Babcock and Lauren Stevens combine an historical survey of architecture and colonial craft, with thirty years of personal experience at hands-on restoration of dozens of barns. Richard Babcock is able to infer from ancient construction techniques both the date and nationality of a barn's builders which ranges from Dutch, German and English to Scotch-Irish, French, and the slave population of New England and eastern New York. Old Barns In The New World is a "must" for students of colonial era American architecture, and will prove to be deeply enjoyable, informative reading for American history buffs and old barn enthusiasts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deconstruction of another sort., May 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Old Barns in the New World: Reconstructing History (Paperback)

Richard Babcock studies, dismantles, moves, and rebuilds old barns, and is a recognized authority on colonial agricultural buildings.
Seeing barns as expressions of national identity as well as responses to the particular agricultural demands of the time, Babcock's expert analysis of joinery techniques and painstaking research have led him beyond description to controversial speculations about the nationality of the earliest white settlers, and the prevalence of slave labor in the northern colonies.
His work, enhanced with excellent drawings and photos, will be of interest to anyone interested in colonial life, and essential for students of agricultural architecture.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)