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I continue today with some interior and detail views of the Amos Hinshaw barn in southern Randolph County, North Carolina. Built sometime around 1880, the design is of a type not normally seen locally with it’s massive two story design and brick ramp leading into the second story.

Latch detail.

A pile of horse “single trees” along with plows and implements on the ground floor where livestock was housed and equipment stored.

Notice the strips of wood on the floor of the barn ramp to provide traction for the horses/mules bringing hay into the loft.

(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)

Across the road from the Evergreen Academy is still another gem of Randolph County, North Carolina historical architecture, the Amos Hinshaw barn. Built sometime around 1880 by Quaker farmer Amos Hinshaw, it is like no other barn in the county with it’s massive construction and a brick ramp leading to the second floor loft to enable wagons to drive in with hay. The plan is based on Swiss style barns seen in Indiana by Amos’s father Thomas during the Civil War. The story of why Thomas was in Indiana is a fascinating one and can be read in the following genealogy link. http://www.rawbw.com/~hinshaw/cgi-bin/id?326

(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)

Located in southern Randolph County, North Carolina, Evergreen Academy is a one room school house built by the Quakers shortly after the Civil War. It remained in use until sometime around the 1920’s. I say one room, although there is a folding door system that will convert the main area into two spaces. While all the desks and other artifacts have been removed (except for the lone chair above and a few boards and tools), the school building has been basically untouched since it was last used. As one with a background in archeology, stepping through the door is about as close to a King Tut moment as I will ever have. I walked in and immediately saw the chalk letters on the boards that are one hundred years old and remain unchanged since the moment they were written. It was like opening a time capsule. The writing is on blackboards. I use the plural, because there is no slate, but rather the wall boards are painted black. Standing in front of the boards, you can almost hear the children that once studied here.

(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)