For the last couple of weeks, North Bennet School students have been re-building a model of the English 18th century barn that was originally on the site. The students are practicing replicating the original two-bay building with wide pine vertical siding, shake roof and dry-laid field stone foundation. North Bennet’s Steven O’Shaughnessy said the students have already milled thousands of board feet of pine and oak sheathing and hand hewed white oak sills and joists.
According to DCR staff, North Bennet School was given a permit to build this temporary barn as a training opportunity for students, but the barn will be dismantled when it is completed. DCR is still consulting with state agencies and community groups to determine whether to re-build the barn as it was in the 18th century, or whether to rebuild it the with additions that were added later in the 19th century.
