The term "barn raising" describes the construction of barns since the 18th and 19th centuries in rural North America (U.S. and Canada). In the past, a barn was often the first, largest, and most costly structure built by a family who settled in a new area. Barns were essential structures for storage of hay and keeping of horses and cattle, which in those days were an inseparable part of farming. The tradition of "barn raising" continues, more or less unchanged, in some Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities, particularly in Ohio, I ...

Including:

• Barn raising - The event
• Barn raising - Social framework
• Barn raising - Contrast with church construction
• Barn raising - End of an era
• Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction
• Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia - Barn raising

A barn raising is a one- or two-day event during which a community comes together to assemble a barn for one of its households. A certain amount of preparation is done beforehand. Lumber and hardware are laid in, plans are made, ground is cleared, and tradesmen are hired. Materials are purchased or traded for by the family who will own the barn once it is complete. Generally, participation is mandatory for community members. These participants are not paid. All able-bodied members of the community are expected to attend. Failur ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - The event

In earlier American rural life, communities raised barns because many hands were required. In areas that were sparsely settled or on the edge of the frontier, it was not possible to hire carpenters or other tradesmen to build a barn. The harsher winters gave more urgency to the matter of barn construction than was present in the relatively milder climate in Europe. Similar conditions have given rise to alike in ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - Social framework

Barn raising as a method of providing construction labor had become rare by the close of the 19th century. By that time, most frontier communities already had barns and those that did not were constructing them using hired labor. Mennonite and Amish communities carried on the tradition, however, and continue to do so to this day. Group construction by volunteers enjoyed something of a resurgence during the 1970s, when houses, sheds, and barn-shaped structures were constructed for all manner of purposes except, of course, the keeping o ...

See also:

Barn raising, Barn raising - The event, Barn raising - Social framework, Barn raising - Contrast with church construction, Barn raising - End of an era, Barn raising - Barn raising in fiction, Barn raising - Barn raising as a metaphor for online communities

Read more here: » Barn raising: Encyclopedia II - Barn raising - End of an era