Small, 1700s
Timber-Frame Barn Plans
Banta Barn, built in
Paramus, New Jersey in the early 1700s
t'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.
HABS plans
include floor and loft layouts, exterior elevations and
timber-frame details. They show how the z-braced barn doors
were made and even include drawings of the hand-made loft
pulley.
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.
