West Monitor Barn Vermont

by Deborah Benoit

Title

West Monitor Barn Vermont

Artist

Deborah Benoit

Medium

Painting - Original Photography And Photopainting

Description

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

Uploaded

September 24th, 2015

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