Gale-Morel

History

This barn is believed to have been built in the 1930s by Byron Gale with the help of his family and neighbours. Ed Gale, Byron’s father, came to the area in 1917 from St. Thomas, Ontario. Byron served in World War II and bought the farm from Ed when he came back home after the war.

Jean and Helen Morel moved to the property this barn sits on in 1952. They acquired the land under the Veterans Land Act as Jean had served in the Second World War. Jean had been living in the Galahad area with his uncle, August Billiot, before he was called back to France at the beginning of the war and decided to come back to the area after the war. He met Helen while returning an incorrectly mailed letter while still in the Galahad region. They moved to this property after their marriage in 1949.

Jean and Helen used the barn for milk cows in the early days. Five milk cows were enough to keep them afloat. Helen remembers that they would receive the cream cheque and most of it would be gone by Monday to pay the expenses. However, after the family purchased some piglets with loan money from a friend, they found life much more stable. In recent years, the barn has been used for storage or left vacant.

The barn is very unique because the ground floor walls are cordwood construction. From the outside, this can look like field stone construction but it is actually debarked trees laid perpendicular to the wall’s direction and bound together with mortar. This method makes for a very durable building.

Morel, Helen. Personal communication. 28 Jul. 2017.

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

This frame shows the western side of the barn. Notice the single cupola in the middle of the barn.

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

This frame is a close-up of one of the outer walls for the western set of stalls. Notice the post in the left aspect of this frame. The post supports the beams on the barn’s loft.

This frame is a close-up of the cordwood walls that makeup the barn.

This frame shows an electrical box on the exterior of the north-western corner of the barn.

This frame shows the northern face of the barn.

This frame is a close-up of the sliding door on the northern face of the barn.

This frame is a close-up of the gate near the northern face of the barn.

This frame shows the northern face of the barn and part of the eastern half of the barn’s roof.

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

This frame shows the eastern half of the barn’s roof and part of the southern face of the barn.

This frame shows the southern face of the barn. Notice how there is no hay hood or hay track in this barn.

This frame is a close-up of the sliding door on the southern face of the barn. Notice how the sliding door has a smaller door built into it.

This frame shows the south-eastern stall inside the barn.

This frame shows the north-eastern penned area inside the barn.

This frame shows the north-western corner of the barn. Notice how the cordwood walls look from the inside of the barn.

This frame shows the western penned area in the northern half of the barn.

This frame shows the western stalls in the southern half of the barn.

This frame is a close-up of the staircase to the barn’s loft.

This frame shows the trusses which make-up the western half of the barn’s roof.

This frame shows the northern face of the barn.

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

Location

52.347180, -112.041897 SW 13-39-15 W4

Characteristics

Barn Condition: Fair

Construction Date: Believed 1930s

Features: Single cupola

Roof Shape: Gambrel

Paint: None

Decorations: No names or dates

Roof Covering: Metal

Siding: Cordwood

Foundation: Cordwood and cement

Additional History on the Property

Gale Family History

Gale, B., Murray, A., & O’Neill, B. “Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Gale”. Halkirk Home Fires and Area. 1st ed. Halkirk: Halkirk Historical Society, 1985. Print.