Three Homestead Barns of the Past

A barn raising…a barn burning…and more.

Before the Elizabeth Chilton Education Center was built, a series of barns stoodin that space.

We do have photographs and documents that offer a glimpse intothat bit of Homestead history.

In 1891, Joseph Wakeman Mather hired his brother, William Francis, to build thebarn. We know from a note that William intended to break ground on June 11th1891 and in July sent his brother an initial invoice for $300.00.

In 1905 that barn was destroyed by fire. As reported by the New Canaan Advertiser, “Two horses were burned to death, 12 tons of hay were destroyedand a Ford went up in flames…A cow which was in the basement of the barnwas led from the danger zone before the flames had gained much headway.”

Following that, a second barn was built which stood on the site until 1965 whenit was replaced by the third barn which was documented by the National ParkService in 1974 when the Homestead was in the process of becoming a NationalHistoric Landmark.

In 2020 that third barn was razed and work began to raise the new Education Center.