The Barn Census

Pownal is taking part in the Vermont Statewide Barn Census, funded by a Preserve American grant. All barns are being counted, although the primary focus of the statewide project is on historic barns (more than 50 years old).  This site showcases some of the barns we have visited. Additional photos and descriptions will be added soon.

The Vermont Barn census SPRINGS INTO 2009!

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The Vermont Barn Census continues in May with Barn Census Month! Due to the success of 2008’s Census weekends, we’re expanding and using the entire month of May to encourage volunteers to get outside, learn more about Vermont’s agricultural heritage, and survey barns for the Census.

So far, volunteers of the Vermont Barn Census have recorded information on barns from Southern Vermont to the Northeast Kingdom. We’ve made contact with individuals all over the state and had some great conversations on the past and future of Vermont’s agricultural heritage. To see some of the barns we’ve mapped, click here to be taken to our website (or go to http://www.uvm.edu/~barn/mapping_flash.html). If you’ve already collected information on barns but have not yet submitted it, now’s the time – either online or via USPS at Vermont Barn Census c/o Division for Historic Preservation, National Life Building, 2nd Floor, Montpelier  VT, 05620.

Barn Census Month will take place during the month of May, 2009. Over the course of the month, volunteers will explore the roads of their communities to locate barns and will take a photo and some notes about barn features, history, use and current condition, and then submit the data over the web. Volunteers are welcome to survey one barn or many. Educators and students are especially encouraged to volunteer. Learning about barns is a fun and exciting way to learn more about the state, its people, and its history.

What is the Vermont Barn Census? It’s a project seeking help from volunteers in all of Vermont’s 251 towns to identify barns and other agricultural outbuildings in their communities. The goal is to carry out, for the first time, a state-wide census of Vermont’s barns that will lay the foundation for further efforts to preserve them. The Census will answer questions such as: How many barns are there in Vermont? What kind of condition are they in? Are we losing significant numbers each year? What can be done to preserve these icons of our history and landscape?

Interested? Check out our website (www.uvm.edu/~barn) or call (802) 828-1220. The website has resources to help you learn more about Vermont’s agricultural history as well as detailed information on the census – what to look for, how to record it, and how to submit that information. No prior experience is necessary! We want the Barn Census to be fun and easy for all volunteers.

We’d like to share your stories! We’re developing a new section of our website where we will post interesting anecdotes and photos of the barns in your community. If you’d like to contribute, see the website for more information.

The Vermont Barn Census is a project of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program, Historic Windsor’s Preservation Education Institute, Save Vermont Barns, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and Preservation Trust of Vermont.

The Vermont Barn Census us funded by a Preserve America grant through the National Park Service to the State of Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. 

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