Tom and Beryl Smith Barn on Gebbie Road (now Bill and Trish Alley)

History of the barn at 404 Gebbie Road
(Text compiled by Tom Smith)

The State of Vermont Division for Historic Preservation surveyed the structure in 1984 and stated:

"The Atherton Barn has a moderately wide gable roof and an unusual high drive flanked on either side by shed roof extensions, one of which also slops to the hay drive level. The high drive has paired hinged doors. One of the extensions has stalls at the lower level. Posts and beams are hand-hewn and those which support the high drive are unseen (whole tree trunks). The unusual treatment of the high drive is the only such arrangement in Greensboro."

William Conant bought the land in 1800, built the farm house in 1814, and the barn was probably built at about the same time. This is suggested by the hand hewn beams and the spruce shingle roof (now covered by a metal roof but the shingles can still be seen from within the bar.

The barn should be described as a "New England Barn," a design based on the original "English Barn" design but with a gable entrance. The present size is 33 feet wide by 44 foot long. It has five "bents," a "bent" being the basic unit of assembly of a timber frame. It was originally 60 feet long but a storm destroyed about 20 feet on the West side in 1978 which was not replaced by the Atherton who owned it from 1944 until 1989. Bernie and Lora Atherton used the barn as part of their working farm until 1956. It housed 22 "milkers."

As it was leaning badly, the barn was straightened and renovated by the Smiths in 1990 resulting in many new posts, new supporting beams, sway braces and steel anchor bolts. However, the original structure can still be clearly identified.

 

Farm implements:

In the barn are two walking (that is, the plowman walked behind them), horse drawn implements. One might be a plow although there is no blade and the other a seeder. There is also a device with large wheels which might have been a horse drawn seeder that the driver could sit on. The Atherton told us that they were in the barn when they bought it in 1944 and never moved. The walking implements are possibly the best part of 100 years old.

There are also pieces of a large sled probably used for pulling wood but it is in very bad shape.

 

Letter from Tom Smith: