Granary Moving to Museum

By Roger Austin. From the Nov - Dec 2010 newsletter.

The classic 1½ story granary building from the former Walker farm near Madrid is about to be moved to the Museum grounds. Acquisition of the building had been made possible a few years ago by an anonymous donor. The relocation awaited completion of the new bridge before plans for the move were made. The project is being undertaken by Reg Chester, Gary Bush, Bob Moulton, Wayne Day, and John Castle. Working with them has been a skilled crew of Amish builders. They installed a new front sill and replaced a post and a beam on the back side. To accommodate road travel, the roof was dismantled and the gable ends lowered. The Town of Madrid has provided a flatbed truck . Once it arrives at the Museum, the granary will be set on blocks, reassembled, and covered with a new steel roof. Measures will be taken to weatherproof the building - as much as a granary can be. The building will be part of a future period farmstead and will be placed at its final site in 2011. The building was originally constructed by a skilled carpenter. The outer walls slant outward toward the top, a design used to discourage vermin from climbing. Boards and battens clad the outer walls on three sides. The fourth wall is cribbed with a double layer to simulate the appearance of the other walls. Each batten has chamfered edges. The first floor provides open work space. The upper level has bins for grain storage.