Old Barns Reflect Vital Role of Farming

Agriculture is a vital piece of Transylvania County’s economy.  Farms, large and small, have played a major role in the development of the county.  Agriculture statistics for Transylvania County are available through the University of Virginia, Geospatial and Statistical Data Center’s Historical Census Browser at mapserver.lib.virginia.edu from 1870-1950. 

Basic information includes the number of farms, total acreage of farmland, average size and number of farms within size ranges.  The total value of farms in the county, as well as building, crop, livestock and machinery values are provided.  While these statistics are general and do not provide information on individual farmers they do offer a picture of local agricultural practices.

From 1870 through the early 1900 the number of farms in the county steadily increased.  The numbers then declined until after the Great Depression when the total number of farms peaked at 1165 in 1940.  Although there are some large farms in Transylvania County the majority have always been relatively small.  By 1940 over 85% were under 100 acres.

The Dave Holiday barn, in the Blantyre area, is typical to
early 1900's Transylvania County farms.

When the Transylvania County Architectural Survey was taken in the early 1990s approximately 80 farms with barns and other outbuildings where included.  The barns, themselves, offer insight into farms and agricultural practices. 

Most of the Transylvania’s barns are modest in size, constructed of wood and served multiple purposes.  A common style of barns included a central pull-through, with animal stalls and storage areas for grain and tools on either side.  There was often an attached, open lean-to for storage of larger machinery. 

The rustic James Owen barn.

It can be difficult to date farm buildings because they are often expanded and modified as needs change.  Often a new barn is built on the foundation of an older barn that fell into disrepair.  This is the case with the barn at the Allison-Deaver House which dates from the early 1900s but contains elements that are much older.

Around 1880 James Marion Owen moved to the Tanassee Gap area in the county’s Gloucester section.  He built a barn of chestnut, poplar and locust logs.  It had three pens on one side and an open area on the other.  The rough-sawn lumber roof had hand-split wood shingles.

The original Blythe barn (on the right end) was expanded
into a larger structure by W. T. Whitmire.

The barn at the Blythe-Whitmire Farm in Penrose is a good example of a typical frame barn that was expanded.  Originally built by Clyde Blythe, a large side addition was added by W. T. Whitmire after he purchased the farm in 1935.  The addition, constructed of wood-frame and fieldstone, extends into the bank and has a row of short windows beneath the eaves of the metal roof. 

Next week Picturing the Past will take a look at the role of other structures typical to Transylvania farms.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 x242.