This recent barn-raising shot was sent in by a reader living near a Wisconsin Amish community. In the accompanying story in the Westby Times, an Amish old-timer explains some of the ins-and-outs of barn-raising, including this interesting technical detail:
‘Yoder added that it is customary for families involved in a barn raising to provide a dish to pass at lunch, but it is the responsibility of the family whose barn is being constructed to provide the majority of the food and beverages used throughout the day.’
Thanks to reader Eric Leum and Westby editor Dorothy Jasperson!
Great story! Thanks for the useful information. Please visit my blog about Amish homesteading http://amishhomesteader.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much for the interesting post. I always enjoy reading your posts and learning more about the life of the Amish.
Thanks for sharing.
Occasionally there is a barn fire in the Mennonite community and there is a big barn raising. I don’t wish a fire on anyone, but I would love to see the community in action like this.
Geraldine, Melody, I appreciate the comments. Ruth it seems they don’t happen too terribly often in the larger Amish settlements, generally due to the decline in farming. It’s likely that barn raisings might be more easily seen in the more rural, growing smaller communities.
Absolutely love this photo.
I’m interested in the copyright information on the photo of Wisconsin Amish barn-raising.
I have an old barn and large shed. The barn has hand hewn beams. I heard the Amish buy and dismantel these, we are in southeastern Wisconsin. please contact us
Amish finding elbow room in the West | Amish America Comment on Wisconsin Amish barn-raising (June 1st, 2010 at 05:14)
[…] issues, or for other causes. Places that have seen a recent influx of Amish include Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York–all states that have established Amish […]