Item 116454 - Rossignol barn, Van Buren, ca. 2003

Item 116454 - Rossignol barn, Van Buren, ca. 2003
Contributed by Acadian Archives
Item 116454
Rossignol barn, Van Buren, ca. 2003
Zoom
4412px x 2975px - 14.7"w x 9.9"h @ 300dpi  |  Need a larger size?
*Credit line must read: Collections of Acadian Archives
Image Info

This barn can be found in the Acadian Village, an institution devoted to keeping and sharing Acadian cultural traditions. According to Howard Marshall’s field notes, "This is a very nice English 'type' barn of the early kind . . . Side opening, three bay barn, here with a gabled roof. Moved here and reconstructed, from the Leon Rossignol farm near Van Buren. Like others, it has a lean-to shed addition on one of the gables. Such additions were probably built at or soon after the moment of construction of the barn itself. Typically they are for sheltering the cattle and draft animals. Conceptually they may be thought of as 'additions' but they are integral elements. The barn combines late medieval-looking heavy hewn and joined framing members with more modern sawn smaller members. A fine example, and it even sports the standard shingle siding characteristic of St. John Valley traditional farm buildings." In this region, this type of barn is also called la grange acadienne, or an Acadian barn.

About the site: On May 9, 1973, a corporation was formed and named, "Notre Héritage Vivant." The name represents the eastern part of the Saint John Valley in Aroostook County, Maine. It encompasses the communities of Grand Isle, Van Buren, Hamlin, and Cyr Plantation. The purpose of the corporation is to foster, promote, and encourage interest in the history and in preserving the heritage and culture of the people of the region. Many fundraising projects were held and, with the help of generous supporters who donated land and buildings, the Acadian Village was underway. Gilles Nadeau was chosen as the village designer. The society received a CETA grant and a matching grant from the Maine State Bicentennial Commission. When the weather permitted, volunteers started getting the land ready and moving buildings one at a time or constructing new buildings on the site of the present village.

Show Details