In late 2011, after much procrastination, Jean and I decided it was “now or never” concerning our desire to save the 100+ year old barns on the McLendon Farm. They had fallen into disrepair due mainly to the ravages of time—wind damage, rotten wood, termites, and old age had taken a toll on these historic structures. The photo above gives a good view of what we started with on the largest of the three barns.
Front view of two smaller barns, 12/1/11.
You can see that all three barns were in similar condition. Fortunately we and Jean’s daddy before us had kept the roofs intact, which saved the structures from complete destruction. Several years earlier, Jean and I had removed chinaberry trees that had completely surrounded the barns and largely obscured them from view. We used a chainsaw, bulldozer, our labor, and chemical application to the cut stumps to completely eliminate these invasive trees.
I met with Tye Bivins while he was between projects and talked him into this major undertaking. He and his two man crew worked with me for several weeks starting in December, 2011. Tye had earlier worked with me to build the Bluff House and had done other assorted jobs with me, so I knew he was the one to help me tackle this “dirty” job.
Most of the photos are of the largest barn. We decided to restore it first and once complete, to move immediately to the other two. I decided on cypress siding to replace the original weathered barn wood on the entire outside of the largest barn and the rear sides of the other two. This allowed us to use the old siding from the large barn to repair the other walls of the two smaller barns.
Cypress has several advantages for this use, among them rot resistance, weathering characteristics that would make it largely match the old wood after a few years, and resistance to termites.
We used new treated 4x6 and 6x6 structural timbers and some old beams to insure a strong and stable frame.
The old roofs were removed, the roof framing repaired, and new 26 gauge galvanized roofing installed with screws. Hopefully, with routine maintenance, inspection, and repairs, these roofs will keep the barns sound for another 100 or so years. We repaired the original doors on the fronts of the two smaller barns and built four new rolling barn doors for the front of the largest barn, including the hay loft.
Below are some before and after photos and this journal entry will end with two photos taken 9-1/2 years later on June 28, 2021 showing how the cypress siding has aged to nearly match the original barn siding.
Enjoy the slideshow!
In case you thought the comment above concerning the chinaberry trees was an exaggeration, this photo Jean found, probably from the 1980s or 1990s, with one of Mr. Jesse’s gardens (he maintained three gardens in those years) in the foreground shows the large barn almost completely covered with vines and chinaberries.
This photo was taken the same day as the one above. Again, notice the chinaberries growing all over the two smaller barns. It’s a wonder they didn’t destroy the barns. I remember telling Mr. Jesse once when he cut back and pulled up the chinaberry trees (not sure if that was before or after these photos), that if he cleared the barns of the chinaberry trees, I would keep them under control. I failed miserably, as a few years later, it looked as if no one had ever cleared them.
They may still pose a slight chance of growing back, but since we last cleared them several years ago, I have only had to deal with a very few very small new chinaberry trees. The best way to get rid of them, regardless of size, is to cut them near the ground and spray the cut stumps (even tiny ones) with Tordon RTU and they WILL NOT resprout.
Rear of Large Barn, 12/1/11, before we started work.
Photo of South End of Large Barn, 12/1/11.
This is a photo of the inside of the center section of the large barn looking from front to back before we cleaned everything out, 12/1/11.
Photo of feed trough and hay rack for mules. Notice the gnaw marks on the trough from continuous use for decades by the mules which worked the farm prior to tractors, ending in the 1950s. These were retained for their historical value. Photo taken 12/1/11 prior to start of rebuild project.
Jean is cleaning the hay from the loft and throwing it in the bucket of the loader in preparation for the start of the project, 12/1/11.
Wide angle photo of Jean removing hay from loft, 12/1/11.
Photo of start of work on rear of large barn, 12/6/11. Left to right—Me, Lance, Tye, Mike.
Front view of large barn with interior cleaned out prior to start of construction, 12/7/11.
Rear of barn open and ready to start framing with new treated 4x6 supports, 12/7/11. Fill dirt was hauled to the site and spread on the interior of the center section.
Looking through from back to front prior to start of framing, 12/7/11.
Rear view of two smaller barns, 12/7/11.
South end framing complete, 12/10/11.
Pouring foundation wall for rear center section, 12/10/11.
Vivi pays a surprise visit to the construction site, 12/10/11
Vivi talks her parents into letting her place her handprints in the newly poured concrete, 12/10/11.
Vivi invites Joni and me to admire her work, 12/10/11. Unfortunately not long afterward, the concrete crew erased her work. I redid her name and date, but could not replace her handprints! Sorry, Vivi!
Vivi’s sad expression appears to show she was expecting her work to vanish, so she invited Mama and Daddy to take one last look before it was erased, 12/10/11.
Vivi helps me with the final concrete on the front wall foundation (we had to mix by hand and pour from the loader bucket, as we were a little short of concrete on the truck). Vivi later remarked, “I’m sorry Henry and Texas, but I was driving tractors before either of you was born.” 12/10/11
Vivi relaxes with Mama and Daddy after an exhausting day working on the project, 12/10/11.
Vivi poses with the rest of the women in the family before leaving the jobsite, 12/10/11.
Vivi, never known for shyness in front of the camera, requests a closeup to end a long day, 12/10/11.
Front framing complete, 12/15/11.
Rear framing complete, 12/15/11.
Johnny Pritchard and crew working on nailers on roof and Tye and crew starting cypress siding on rear of barn, 12/16/11.
Start of roof on south side of large barn, 12/17/11.
Front siding nearing completion, 12/22/11.
Front siding and south roof complete, 12/23/11.
Vivi invited Mama, Daddy, Aunt Ashley, and Uncle Bubble to inspect the progress to date from the hay loft door opening and…they are suitably impressed, 12/26/11.
Vivi hosts JeeJee, me, Mama, and Aunt Ashley for a quick inspection of the ground floor, 12/26/11.
Front wide angle view of the completed large barn, 1/16/12. Notice the new look of the siding and contrast it with the following photos that show the effect of natural weathering of the cypress. You will note it blends well with the front of the other barns which had the old barn siding redone.
After several long weeks of work, our project was completed around the end of January, 2012. The only significant problem we have had since was a termite infestation Tye Bivins noticed a few years later in the large barn. It was successfully treated by the pest control company and is inspected annually by them.
We all take great pride in this accomplishment. Looking back we see, and the above photos document clearly, we could not have waited much longer if we desired to save these historic structures.
We have had, and granted, several requests for photo shoots from local parties. Old barns such as these are becoming rare. My father-in-law would be proud to know we worked especially hard, and at a cost of over $40,000, to preserve these barns that served him well for many years. They, along with other historic buildings at LaCrosse, provide a unique look back at history and preserve it for the generations that will follow us. (A few years later, we redid the old smoke house behind the white house.)
Below are three additional photos—one shows Vivi and Chip doing routine maintenance, spraying Roundup chemical to control weeds and grasses at the base of the buildings and the other two are recent photos showing the barns as they look today.
Vivi and Chip spraying Roundup, after weedeating around the barns, 5/22/17. (We even ate lunch under the barn before finishing this maintenance task.)
I was working at the farms at LaCrosse on 6/28/21 (9-1/2 years after our reconstruction project) and mowed around the barns and took this and the following photo showing their current state.
This final photo shows a landscape view of all three barns demonstrating the successful blending of new siding with 100+ year old siding.
I will now close this journal entry with a brief historical summary and a look into the future.
Jean’s father, Mr. Jesse McLendon, purchased these structures and the farm that surrounds them in 1948. He and Mrs. McLendon lived in the large white house on this farm at LaCrosse from then until 1969 when they built the brick house across LaCrosse Road. During the time they lived in the white house, Donna and Jean were born, in 1951 and 1954 respectively.
Jean and I are both children of the “Greatest Generation” and are called baby boomers. Both our fathers fought courageously in wars—Jean’s in WWII in the air war over Germany and mine in Korea. We owe our success to their selfless sacrifice.
The above project is a testimony of our thanks to them for all they gave us—moral values, a strong work ethic, dedication to family, and pride in America and what it stands for.
Jean and I decided it was worth the investment of considerable money and labor to restore these barns to their original glory—63 years after Mr. Jesse first took pride in his purchase of the land and these important farm structures. We today consider this undertaking our contribution toward preserving this visible part of our family heritage.
Our hope is that our children, grandchildren, and the generations that follow will similarly feel the obligation to preserve this and various other pieces of our family history.
We assume these barns were built in the late 1800s. If so, they are now 120+ years old. They won’t survive without proper care and maintenance, but we have given you a framework that should insure that, short of fire or tornado, should last until the end of this century, and hopefully beyond.
Thanks for listening!
P.S. I know I said I was finished, but I couldn’t resist one final photo. Could it be that Someone else put His stamp of approval on our work? It very well could be!
Photo taken 2/2/2016