Brennan

History

This barn was built in the 1920s by Norman (N.A.) Brennan. N.A. Brennan came to the area in 1906 and bought this property. He married Mary Wynes in Ontario on February 2, 1915 on a trip back East in the winter of 1914-15. They had four children: Alan, Lorne, Marrion, and Kenneth. Norman used the barn for horses and it was said that at one time he had about 30 horses in the barn. This was accomplished by adding the lean-to shed onto the southern side of the barn.

The barn was then owned by Alan (A.W.) Brennan. In 1941, Alan married Dorthy Johnson and they had four children: Keith, James, Stanley, and Carol. Alan used the barn for mixed livestock early on and as a granary in the later years.

Jim (James) Brennan purchased the property the barn sits on in 1973 from his father A.W. Brennan. Jim used the barn to store grain. However, in the 1980s, he renovated the barn and turned the majority of the ground floor into a heated garage. The eastern few feet of the barn were left untouched and livestock were kept here at various points. The garage area was lined with two-by-sixes for insulation and a cement floor was poured. This barn was built using frame construction and balloon framing.

Brennan, Jim. Personal communication. 27 June 2017.

This frame shows the northern side and western face of the barn.

This frame shows the western face of the barn and shed addition. The main barn was renovated into a garage in the 1980s.

This frame is a close-up of the shed addition from the West.

This frame is of the southern half of the barn. The wooden beams on the roof of the main barn are used to mount steel cables inside the barn.

This frame shows the addition on the southern side of the barn. This area was used to house livestock until the Brennan family stopped raisiing livestock.

This frame is of the eastern face of the barn and the northern side of the main barn. The eastern stalls in the main barn were left as stalls after the barn was made into a garage.

This frame shows the northern half of the barn’s roof. The aspen trees are being used to hold the barn’s roof up. However, the steel cables are much more effective.

This is of the eastern face of the barn. Notice the steel cables which transverse the space between the rafters,

This frame is of the southern half of the barn’s roof. Notice the doors on the southern side. These wooden boards would have been used to cover the hay chutes going down to the original mangers,

This frame shows the south-western corner of the barn’s loft.

This frame shows the loft door on the western face of the barn. Notice the hay carrier and hay track in the peak of the roof.

Location

52.528748, -112.186543 NW 13-41-16 W4

Characteristics

Barn Condition: Good

Construction Date: 1920s

Features: Hay hood, hay carrier, and hay track

Roof Shape: Arched

Paint: Red with white trim

Decorations: No names or dates

Roof Covering: Cedar shingles

Siding: Wooden drop siding

Foundation: Cement

Additional History on the Property

Brennan, Alan. “Norman A. Brennan (1886-1973)” Yesterday and Years Ago: A History of Forestburg and District. 1st ed. Forestburg: Forestburg and District Historical Book Committee, 1983. Print.