Museum Tour: The Barn & Wagon House
Left to right: corn crib, wagon house, barn.
Overview
The barn is the largest building on the property and possibly dates to the mid-1700s. Because of its formerly deteriorating condition, the barn was dismantled and reassembled in the early 2000s. Many of its original beams were saved and restored during renovations, as were pieces of concrete that John Schenck carved his name into in 1948. During a visit to the farmstead, make special note the rounded "mortise and tenon" connection holding the structure together - a joinery technique unique to the Dutch-English architectural style specific to the area. In fact, this style of architecture is so unique and rare that a replica of the building was displayed in a barn exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.!
Until the house was constructed, the property's residents may have lived in the barn alongside their livestock. Throughout its existence, the barn was expanded to house an ever-increasing agglomeration of tools, materials, crops, and animals. Hundreds of artifacts, ranging from simple farming tools to vintage tractors and even an old ambulance, are displayed throughout and around the barn. Each tells a story specific to its function, and all evoke the agrarian lifestyle that dominated West Windsor until the latter half of the 20th century.
The wagon house north of the barn is a replica of a similar wagon house that dated to c. 1910, and houses dozens more implements, including a typical "dump wagon" used for loading and offloading goods, livestock, and even people! Directly next to this building is a "corn crib," used to house - you guessed it - corn! A much larger corn crib, designed to let wagons pass through, used to stand in the same location. It has since been demolished.
Recently, a replica of an early 1900's general store was constructed in the back of the barn. It is housed in a space that also contains an environmental education center. This room is particularly family-friendly, as it has an array of interactive exhibits for children, alongside information for homeowners, centered around environmental awareness and historical preservation.
Scroll down to tour further, or click the button below to explore the property's myriad artifacts!
The barn is the largest building on the property and possibly dates to the mid-1700s. Because of its formerly deteriorating condition, the barn was dismantled and reassembled in the early 2000s. Many of its original beams were saved and restored during renovations, as were pieces of concrete that John Schenck carved his name into in 1948. During a visit to the farmstead, make special note the rounded "mortise and tenon" connection holding the structure together - a joinery technique unique to the Dutch-English architectural style specific to the area. In fact, this style of architecture is so unique and rare that a replica of the building was displayed in a barn exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.!
Until the house was constructed, the property's residents may have lived in the barn alongside their livestock. Throughout its existence, the barn was expanded to house an ever-increasing agglomeration of tools, materials, crops, and animals. Hundreds of artifacts, ranging from simple farming tools to vintage tractors and even an old ambulance, are displayed throughout and around the barn. Each tells a story specific to its function, and all evoke the agrarian lifestyle that dominated West Windsor until the latter half of the 20th century.
The wagon house north of the barn is a replica of a similar wagon house that dated to c. 1910, and houses dozens more implements, including a typical "dump wagon" used for loading and offloading goods, livestock, and even people! Directly next to this building is a "corn crib," used to house - you guessed it - corn! A much larger corn crib, designed to let wagons pass through, used to stand in the same location. It has since been demolished.
Recently, a replica of an early 1900's general store was constructed in the back of the barn. It is housed in a space that also contains an environmental education center. This room is particularly family-friendly, as it has an array of interactive exhibits for children, alongside information for homeowners, centered around environmental awareness and historical preservation.
Scroll down to tour further, or click the button below to explore the property's myriad artifacts!
