Early Gunstock Corn Crib

18' X 18' plus 8'9" x18' addition | Circa 1770 | Salem, NY

This barn is a very early and unique corn crib. It is a gunstock frame, which means that the posts flare to a wider dimension up at the top, allowing for incredibly strong joinery. This corn crib is a scribed barn, meaning that it was built prior to the advent of the "square rule" techniques. Other signs of its early construction are the hand forged nails and the no-point drill bits that were used in its construction. Each brace, beam, and post is scribed to its partners, lending lots of character to this structure. There are two beams that run from gable to gable interiorly that created the corn cribs. These timbers provide a beautiful dimensionality and aesthetic to the interior. The eight foot nine inch addition was added in the 1800s. The timbers are a combination of oak and beech. The original section has gorgeous oak roof boards. 

Details: 

• 324 square feet in the original footprint, and 500 square feet including the addition

• Hewn posts, beams, and rafters

• Four bent gunstock structure including the addition

• Gorgeous marriage marks on each beam and brace

• Stud construction on the gables, and horizontal timber connections on the eave walls

• Plenty of height in the walls to allow for a shed addition for more space

Possibilities:

This early corn crib barn would be ideally suited for use as a great room addition, studio, kitchen or entrance addition, or as a stand-alone house or cabin. It could also become an outbuilding or barn once again. We are so excited to play a role in saving this very old structure!