Audio
Chellberg Barn
Transcript
The Chellberg Barn is the oldest remaining building on the property. It was built around 1872 using wood from trees growing in the nearby ravine. Its heavy timber frame is held together by wooden pegs and mortise and tenon joints that display expert Swedish craftmanship. The barn is oriented in an east-west alignment to provide maximum sun on the structure, and on its roof is a vent known as a cupola. Raising the barn would have been a proud and exciting moment for the Chellbergs and an important event for the young Swedish community. In 1879 the farm had 30 chickens, 8 cattle, 2 sheep, 11 pigs, and 5 horses. They produced 100 bushels of Indian corn, 300 lbs of butter, and 50 dozen eggs. The nearby chicken coop and corn crib were at their present locations by 1879, however the corn crib was destroyed in the 1920s and rebuilt in the early 1940s. By 1880, the family had cleared 60 acres of their 80 acre plot. They were growing crops on 40 acres, had twenty acres of meadow, pasture, orchard or vineyard, 10 acres of woodland and 10 acres of unimproved land. The farm had quadrupled in value to $4,000 by 1880.
Description
Interpretive audio recording describing the Chellberg Barn.
Credit
NPS/Ranger Joe Gruzalski
Copyright and Usage Info