Barn

[LARGO]

Not so much a trip as a walk this Sunday. Been meaning to get to this for a long time but Sunday provided me the opportunity. A good friend of mine purchased a rather coveted property around the corner a couple years ago. Cutting that part to the nub I'll say he was fortunate enough, right place right time to get it from a retiring uncle going to sunny FLA.
Aside from being on Chew Road proper/ County 536, rather traveled... this old house and land beat all. somewhat hidden by well placed pines, most never give it a glance as they go by excelling the speed limit as most do. I have marveled over it for years. The old homestead beats all, it has a nice grove of trees out back, and a pond... a collection of great tributary importance a couple hundred yards from what would be the origin of the Price Branch, which has confluence with the Clark branch where Sandy Cause Way, Burnt House Road & Fleming Pike meet to eventually meet the Sleeper just South of Dutchtown and go on to you know where. I felt this was cool timing given the thread active addressing the many origin feeders to the Mullica if you will. In dry times there is no flow but give a little rain and she's up. So aside from the feeder spring, this property houses a rather significant body of water. Forgive the pics, I F'd up on exposure a few times.
The pond, with a little ice and a dog's ass in the shot.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/037.JPG
Another...
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/038.JPG
Now wouldn't that be nice in the backyard?

Well, any how... he & I have a running joke. One of his dogs oft escapes the confines of his electronic prison and somehow always comes to my place. Must know we loves Labs or he favors the courting of my girl Lab Shadow. She has however demonstrated with great ferocity, the dislike of his courtship. The call to my friend is always the same... "Mike, George", then..." Bailey right?", "Yep". We then either pick up or drop off the escapee and B/S awhile. This time I took the walk, My Daughter, with the escapee...
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/014.JPG
That's Pestletown Road. Ain't she sweet? nice & empty, well until recently.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/015.JPG
and camera to share the best feature this property has to offer.
I would trade many a thing to have this in my backyard. It is known among the locals but not many have ever been up to it, or within it's walls.
The following rivals anything Batsto or Atsion, or any like them have to offer. I offer pics of all angles with my friend's blessing. Sorry so many but I felt it would be a nice tour of one very cool place...
South wall main building, just look at this late 1800's stonework...
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/016.JPG
South wall higher view
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/017.JPG
West wall with doors
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/018.JPG
West wall, notice door-in-door feature
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/019.JPG
The following is the West side roof. Notice these are wood shingles, and over the boards inside, they are holding their own but will need replacing. he is perplexed on a solution. I will be in touch with a few folks I know to give suggestions. Believe it or not, there is a fiberglass mock of these that is supposed to do well.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/0201.JPG
There is an addition section, these are the doors to it.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/021.JPG
Check out the window, with bars on the South side of the addition
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/022.JPG
Inside the addition, looking at the seem if you will.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/025.JPG
Addition roof inside. Make no mistake, dry as dust.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/026.JPG
Another side story, The old man had a machine shop active in the addition. Old stuff but functional. In the 80's my dad & I helped him remove (2) massive lathes from this room and took them to scrap. Each weighed over a ton and were quite long with old motors the size of Aries "K" cars.
He scrapped most else before selling it. All that remains is this drill press.
I loves an old machine.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/024.JPG
Now we go inside the main building and up into the loft...
Looking at the main doors...
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/029.JPG
Loft to the South window, a somewhat etheral view.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/030.JPG
Looking at the East facing roof, dry as a bone.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/031.JPG
Loft out the North window. Now, just for kicks, some of the boards you see propped up on the walls, waiting to be used one day, are older than many youngin's on this site. Sorry... not you Bob.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/032.JPG
Additon wall West, 2 shots
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/033.JPG
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/034.JPG
Additon wall North, with bars again on the windows. Now with this additon, were we trying to keep something out, or in?
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/500/medium/035.JPG
Now the North wall of the main barn. Note broken glass on floor & top level.
My friend's sons & wall ball. Do I need to say some Whoopass was handed out? He is now pondering glass replacement.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/036.JPG
And lastly 3 East shots of the main barn.
Roof
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/0391.JPG
Sides.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/040.JPG
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/data/618/medium/041.JPG
Now guys,
I didn't want to go so stupid on the pics but I could not help but share this thing. Think about it, my friend, who really doesn't know from what he's got, other than it's at least 110 years old and keeps his stuff dry, has one of the coolest things one could want in the back yard if you dig this stuff!
He's a good dude and gracious with the access to me but man, what a treasure the bastard has!
I wanted you all to see every detail, noticed the blockwork, the immense sizes of stone, the mortar, the shingles, the preciseness of the addition, the barred windows, door in door concept, the old style functional half doors on the East side. This thing rocks! I never even shot he first floor cause he has work stuff in it best kept to himself, and no, nothing illegal!
I will say it is actually dry & dusty, a testament to the construction.
Hope I didn't bore you. Took me a crap load of time to do 'cause I can't tie pics to a thread worth a crap! I really won't divulge the true location 'cause it would not be cool for my friend to be bothered by folks 'cause of me.
I will say it is certainly not hidden, just probably overlooked. some here with an Eagle eye have probably seen this Batsto like backyard wonder and of course Scott knows it well but for the rest, hope my pics will do.
Thanks for viewing yet another long winded Largo thread.
I'm going to bed now.

g.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

A fine piece of land indeed. Lots of spungs in that area. Did the pond look man-made to you?

That's a handsome chocolate lab you've got there.

 

[LARGO]

A fine piece of land indeed. Lots of spungs in that area. Did the pond look man-made to you?
That's a handsome chocolate lab you've got there.

Not my Lab. I've got a Black Bitch Lab. He is a beut though and my friend and I joke that we "share" him. Forgive my slowness. I am editing in my photos. Look for more. This is not a spung/vernal pond. It's the real deal. Part of the Price Branch feeder.

g.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Awesome barn!

 

[LARGO]

Awesome barn!

Not done, stick with me!

 

[RednekF350]

Great post George.
Even though I know the location very well, I have never had occasion to see the barn up close.
The house and barn are the oldest functional structures in Pestletown.

 

[relayer]

That is an amazing barn. Thanks for the post and the pics.

best
relayer

 

[james ungehajer]

Nice pics George, thanks for posting and sharing

Jim

 

[MarkBNJ]

Wow, Largo, that barn is amazing. Is that all local sandstone? What a beautiful piece of work. Do you guys think that if you wanted to build something like that today, anyone local could be found who could do it?

 

[woodjin]

Wow!! amazing!

 

[piker56]

That is really amazing. Thanks for the post and pic's.

 

[LARGO]

I really can't answer for the type of stone. I will say that while the addition was done in the same style, the stone seems different. I have no idea what type of craftsman would build that today. A lost art I am sure.
I work with a fellow site member (YETI) and upon showing him pics today, I was able to go over details like the technology behind the cedar roof, the structural strength provided in the arch style over doors and windows. (that design isn't just for looks folks) It just really is a great structure.
It isn't just slapped together believe me!
My friend is lucky to own it now and I get to visit it too!
Another Waterford person came to our work today who marveled over it her whole life and has never been near it.
Thanks all for viewing and putting up with more of my wordy posts.

g.

 

[Teegate]

George,

I rate this as one of the best posts since relayer’s last year. The building was great, and the dog story as well. And since I work with newer versions of the Bridgeport miller depicted in the photo, that interested me also. Very nice!


Guy

 

[lgench]

George, thanx much for posting those photos! Absolutely a fantastic barn. First off, it shows that the original owner had big bucks. Can you imagine hauling all that stone there, in those days? And such beautiful design and details for...a barn. Just great!
Lynn

 

[bobpbx]

A feast for the eyes George. Those stone walls have a calming effect. I am suprised at the late 1800's though. Did I miss a date photo? If that was built in the late 1800's, it seems more a labor of love (or a hobby) than a natural result of the architecture of the times. I'm thinking wood was the preferred choice back then for practicality purposes.

 

[MarkBNJ]

It might be that by the late 1800s wood wasn't so easy to find in the area? It's an interesting question. We have a lot of stone barns and buildings up here, and I always assumed they were built of stone for a) permanence; and b) fire resistance.

 

[Jerseyman]

It might be that by the late 1800s wood wasn't so easy to find in the area? It's an interesting question. We have a lot of stone barns and buildings up here, and I always assumed they were built of stone for a) permanence; and b) fire resistance.

Mark:

Believe me, the availability of wood is not the issue here. With Camden serving as a regional lumber processing center, featuring numerous steam sawmills along its waterfront, and raftsmen bringing timber rafts down the Delaware River and also down the Susquehanna River and towed up through the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, dimensional lumber was quite common. In addition, many sawmills continued to operate throughout South Jersey.

Without doing some research, I cannot say who originally constructed the barn, but a stone barn of that magnitude, as Lynn suggested, is a statement of wealth. Yes, certainly permanence and fire resistance plays a role here. Perhaps the owner had suffered loss in a forest fire and vowed not to let that happen again, but who knows?!?!?!

In any case, LARGO has done a great service to all who read these forums! Thank you, George, for sharing this spectacular set of photographs!! You have my envy, sir, for being given the opportunity to see this truly magnificent structure!!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[LARGO]

Without having Jerseyman's background for research, I am inclined to go with Lynn's thoughts. As I think of a Pestletown/Chewtown of over a hundred years ago, This structure makes me believe it's owner wanted to "Top It The Knob" a little so to speak as the old people would say.
It's grandness is a statement of sorts. He definately wanted it to last. I will tell you the roof of the original barn I believe has been done over once to my knowledge.
It's the fact that the addition, a later item, is kept to the same integrity that intrigues me.
Also, to properly answer Gabe's question of the evening I posted... The pond of course is a pond, not a spung, but I have every belief there was human intervention in it's presence due to it's proximity to the house & barn and that it is fed from a fairly reliable spring. Years ago I lived on the property bordering the true origin of the spring that feeds this and it was always prospering. Someone bought the property and did some "work" that affected the spring's performance. Bastard.
My friend & I were jawin' about our kids, and the dog, and the game so I really wasn't rooting around looking for date stones and he admittedly doesn't know. He is a young owner (3+ years) of the property so to speak and strained relations with the family member he bought it from cut the resource for information.
If amongst your many projects Jerseyman you want to pull of another miracle and learn it's origins, I can probably get you block & lot #'s.
It would be off forum of course for my friend's privacy.
Thanks for your words and glad you enjoyed.

g.

 

[Jerseyman]

George:

Your PM is already waiting for you, my friend!

Best regards,
Jerseyman