Small, 1700s Timber-Frame Barn Plans

 

Banta Barn, built in Paramus, New Jersey in the early 1700s

 

It's difficult to imagine that the Banta Barn, shown in the1936 photograph above, was once an attractive and functional part of a farmstead. By the time the photo was taken, the main building was over two hundred years old and had served generation after generation of the same family.

 

Drawings prepared for the Historical American Buildings Survey show how it looked when it was new. It was a very nice example of a small, all-purpose barn for a family farm or homestead.

 

The original barn, which was probably built in the early 1700s, is a sturdy Dutch style timber-frame structure. It has a loft, loft door and lift post, corn crib, a dove cote and a  drive-through alley for a work wagon or carriage.

 

The 1887 addition is a simple, stud-frame building that may have been built to shelter a second, taller vehicle.

 

 

Barn Plan Set  These plans will print on 8 1/2x11 paper on most computer printers. Ledger and larger size prints can also be produced from the same file by using a large format printer. If you don't have one of those, a copy shop should be able to provide you with prints.

 

The Historic American Buildings Survey is a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the National Park Service. Read more about their efforts to preserve America's heritage by visiting their website: Built in America  To learn more about the small barn shown here, search for it by its card number: NJ1717. To read more about the 1717 Banta family homestead search for card number NJ0258.