NV Historical Society receives Mildred Truman Faulkner Foundation grant; Monies to benefit outbuildings at the Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum

The Newark Valley Historical Society recently announced the award of a Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation grant in the amount of $14,000 to upgrade a number of its outbuildings at the Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum. Outbuildings served important functions on 19th century farms and are important in the interpretation of farm life from this period. Many of these buildings have been repurposed, typical of farms evolving into the 20th century.

A former granary is now a storage building for the Blacksmith Guild. Almost every farm had a separate workshop for the repair of equipment and household items. The workshop at the Farmstead was built in 1995 as a project for the high school construction class under the guidance of Jim Benner. This class was videotaped and can now be accessed on YouTube.

A picnic pavilion serves an important function for the Apple Festival, school tours, and anyone wishing to have some refreshments after walking the nature trails.

What the museum now calls the Loom Barn has an interesting history. It was built by combining two smaller structures. The NVHS believes that the original structures were used for the Northern Tioga County Fair, which took place across the road from the Farmstead from 1880 to 1916. In its day, it rivaled the Tioga County Fair. When the fair ended, local farmers purchased the buildings. Some buildings were dismantled for their lumber.

The farmstead’s two structures were moved to the northern end of Tappan Road to be used for the production of maple syrup. In 1980 they were moved to their present location by a “renegade moving crew” and joined together. The combined barn has since gone through a variety of changes. Part of it now holds a barn frame loom (a.k.a. “barn loom,” so called because of its structure). This is the home base for the Shuttles and Spindles Guild. The second part of the building is used mostly for storage during the Apple Festival and other events.

Many of the structures at the Farmstead now have metal roofs. Although cedar shakes are more authentic, the cost of shingles has climbed significantly while their longevity has declined. However, there is precedent for metal roofing even in the 19th century, and both the Herrick Barn and the Loom Barn already have metal roofs. The NVHS will be keeping wooden shakes on the Blacksmith storage building, but the workshop and the picnic pavilion will be getting metal roofs.

The upgrade to the Loom Barn involves replacing the siding on the south side. Likely over 100 years old, it is in very poor condition. Another structure getting upgraded is a shed used to store materials for children’s games (stilts, hoops, etc.). It only measures 4-feet by 4-feet and will be expanded using recycled materials.

The Society wishes to thank the Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation for its continued generosity.

In a press release announcing the grant, a NVHS representative wrote, “The Truman Foundation has been an invaluable partner in helping the Society fulfill its mission to preserve the history of Northern Tioga County and to educate the general public on the importance of strengthening community identity.”