The Johnson Farm has been continuously operating as a dairy farm since it was platted in 1743. Located on the farm was an old barn that is still being used by the current owner for hay storage and his small herd of dairy cattle as shelter. Charles Johnson, pictured here, is the third generation of the Johnson family to run the small dairy farm, in the Town of Chester, New York. The ax marks that are visible on the hand cut beams tell the story of the building of the barn, estimated to be built in the mid-1700’s. Inside the barn there are faint markings scratched onto a cross beam that show the pitch of the roof’s supports, which would have been constructed on the ground prior to lifting them in place. The diagram would have provided a handy reference for the builders of the barn.
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