Barns of Westport

tstWestport’s main economy in its early
years was subsistence agriculture. Farm families grew their own food; raised their own livestock; made their own clothing; and made their homes, barns and tools from lumber provided by the trees on their land. Excess farm products earned cash for those items that could not be provided on the family farmstead. The barns, silos, potato houses, and corn cribs were the operational center of their agricultural society, providing processing facilities, protection for animals, and storage for tools, working field implements, and vital foodstuffs. They were very important structures on the farm.

From early subsistence crop growing, Westport moved into commercial potato farming, and gradually grew into one of the largest dairy communities in New England. Barn structures followed suit including introduction of the milking barn and grain silos. Early barn structures probably incorporated European construction techniques which eventually Americanized as functionality overcame tradition. The barn has such an enduring attraction that many Westport families have either rebuilt or newly constructed gentlemen’s barns that have become testaments to an earlier heritage, not to mention handy storage areas for lawn and garden equipment, and recreational vehicles.
The Americanization of the BARN

Today, one may find in Westport a rich mix of restored 18th century barns intermixed with tired working barns; abandoned barns, grain and feed silos; and recently refurbished barns used for commercial purposes. Many historically significant older barns are in a serious state of neglect. This photo essay illustrates another rural flavor of Westport, and is an attempt to pictorially preserve our rich cultural legacy before it is lost forever.

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