Snethun

History

This barn was built in 1934 by Joe Rees when the Elliot Weir family still lived on the property. In 1959 Peter Snethun bought the property and he lived there with Katherine, his wife, until his death. Katherine Snethun still lives on the property. The Snethuns used the barn for both milk cows and beef cattle. They milked cows in the barn up until the early 1960s. They ceased raising beef cattle in the barn and kept their cattle out in their southern pasture. After the livestock were gone, the Snethuns used the barn for equipment, feed, and storage. The barn is still used for storage today.

Snethun, Katherine. Personal communication. 25 Jul. 2016.

This frame shows the southern half of the barn’s roof and the western face of the barn. The sliding door on the southern face provides entry into the southern shed.

The western face of the barn and the northern half of the roof are visible in this frame. The western face has two doors that would have been used to throw feed out of the loft to the ground below.

Katherine Snethun had the barn painted a few years ago and it still looks fresh.

This frame is of the eastern face of the barn. Many of the barn’s windows were boarded up after the glass panes broke.

The eastern face of the barn has two large doors which are akin to train roundhouse doors. When the doors are opened, both the barn’s loft and main level are veiwable.

The Snethuns used to store their combine inside the barn. To do that they needed to cut out a portion of the barn’s loft floor so that the area inside would be completely open.

This frame shows the southern half of the barn’s roof.

The foundation on the south side is starting to crumble.

The sheds on either side of the main barn used to hold feed and livestock.

Inside the main part of the barn, one can see where the loft used to start. Now, it is supported by two timbers. Without the loft, there was enough space to park a combine.