History of the Barn
The West Monitor Barn, two miles east of downtown Richmond, was literally ready to fall onto Route 2 in the late 1990s. It had become an eyesore, a danger, and potentially a very large community liability.
In 1901 the Whitcomb family built the East Monitor Barn and in 1903 the West. The second barn was about a third smaller than the first, though at 12,000 square feet, and 85 feet tall, an incredible monument itself. The Whitcomb family represented the best of Vermont; they were hard working, successful, and generous to a fault to their community. In fact, at the turn of the century when agriculture represented 70% of the American economy, the Whitcomb's operation was one of the most successful.
The barns were designed and engineered by a firm in Seattle. In fact, at a time when the average farm had eight cows, the Whitcomb's had hundreds. Hay and grain were planted and harvested by hand and horse. In the West Monitor Barn alone, more than 175 cows were milked three times a day by hand. The milk went from cow to pail, to can, and then was driven to market by wagon and horse. It was an operation that represented the epitome of hand-powered farming, and was an operation admired nationwide.
Interestingly, the dairy operation which was built around man and horse power became more and more obsolete as each year passed, and within a very short time for the enormous investment that these barns represented. Within a few years of the barns being built, a Pully-Tyne invention was patented, making the high drive and hay wagon less economical. Within a decade, tractors became increasingly common. An operation considered to be one of the most efficient was becoming less and less so as technology marched forward.
Eventually the farm was sold, and as each decade came and went, the barns decayed more and more, until in the late nineties the West Monitor Barn was ready to fall with the next strong wind or ice storm.
It was at this point that Steve Libby, who had been thinking about these barns for many years, was able to convince the Richmond Land Trust to undertake what has become a ten year plus project. The RLT, a small local volunteer group with about 150 members, started to meet on a weekly basis. They wrote grants, held work parties at the barn - shoring up the barn with large 4x10's. This small but committed group of visionaries saw what was possible and has never looked back.
The group initially won two federal grants. One was from the National Park Service's National Treasures program and the other was from the Federal Highway Enhancement Program - a special fund set up specifically for this type of project. Between the two grants, which totaled $500,000, they had just enough money to carefully deconstruct the barn and to fabricate new timbers. About 40% of the timbers in the barn are original and the rest have been carefully and accurately re-fabricated. In addition the stone foundation and walls are all original stone - quarried by hand from the back fields.
The goal was to rebuild the barn exactly as it had been built. The barn was built against a hillside - again, a common practice at time when there was no power equipment or electricity. While the barn was very big, there were other big barns in Vermont, and for that matter throughout the United States. However, what was and is so unique was the engineering of the building itself. From an historical perspective, these Richmond Monitor Barns were and are National Treasures - and have become recognized as important Vermont icons.
More than 80,000 cars drive past the West Monitor Barn each week. From Bennington to Brattleboro, from Isle La Motte to Bradford, Vermonters watched in anticipation as the barn was deconstructed,and people everywhere shared stories of the pride and joy they have felt as the barn was being rebuilt. People regularly stop by the West Monitor Barn to take photos, walk through it, marvel at the incredible post and beam work throughout, and share their personal stories of the barn's history.
Larry Copp, who owns Blueberry Hill in town and is a leading economist in Vermont, stated that this project represents perhaps the largest economic development project in Richmond in the past 50 years. It is an example for Vermont of how to marry conservation and economic development.
This is the short story of how the West Monitor Barn has been restored. In a nutshell, a small group of committed citizens from Richmond had a vision and were willing to see it through. They are truly an example to all of Vermont and represent what our Green Mountain State is all about: generous, giving, community minded people, proud of their history, though not stuck in it, and willing to create a wonderful future.