Barn (ca. 1880)
The barn on the grounds of the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village is a late 19th century livestock barn. The building was originally located outside of Felton, Delaware on what is now Burnite Mill Road.
This beautifully preserved "braced frame" building is in the architectural style typical of barns that dotted Delaware's rural landscape during the mid to late 19th century. Braced frame construction allowed for larger and more adaptable barns where air is allowed to circulate through the cracks between the boards. An abundance of doors and window openings provide plenty of natural interior lighting during daytime hours.
The barn was the center of farm life. The barn is where farmers milked their cows, shod their horses and served as midwives to animals in difficult labor. Barns were used to house livestock (cows, horses, mules) as well as to store feed. Because of their size and often times their proximity to roads, barns were also used to post advertisements.
