Barn Rebuild Update February 2024

The greenhouse has arrived and is being assembled when the weather cooperates. Once it’s built the team will finish installing the electrics and we will then be ready to switch everything on and excitingly start using the solar panels.

The final step we’ll need to go through is the occupancy permitting process. We are unsure how long that will take but will continue to keep you all updated. It is so exciting to be near the end of this nearly 3 year journey with you all; and we are definitely looking forward to what is to come!

Barn Rebuild Update December 2023

The interior and exterior of the barn have been treated with linseed oil, to help with weatherproofing, and the area all around the barn has been graded and flattened out. We also put in some concrete pads leading into the front and back of the greenhouse.

The next big part of construction will be to receive and assemble our greenhouse, which we anticipate starting in the early part of 2024, and should take the better part of a month before all is said and done. For this last stage of construction, we’ll need to put the fence up again to ensure everyone’s safety. After that, we’ll just need to hook up solar panels, then get ready to celebrate the opening of our new barn!

Barn Rebuild Update October 2023

A good portion of the major work on the barn has been completed, including window installation, solar panels, internal carpentry, concrete floors and several coats of linseed oil for weatherproofing. The next big steps we will be taking include finishing up installing the electrical systems and lights, regrading the area around the barn, and receiving and installing our greenhouse, which will include heat to help us extend the growing season.

We are all so excited to be able to start using the barn! As a reminder, until it is all completely finished and inspected, visitors will not be allowed inside the barn. Please continue to follow all posted signs and instructions from staff.

Barn Rebuild Update June 2023

Lots of progress on construction this month- we now have a roof, walls, and windows. It is definitely starting to look like a barn!

Next steps from here include getting a concrete flour poured, solar panels and the rest of the electrical infrastructure. The last thing to go on will be the greenhouse.

Thanks again to all who have helped get us to this point, and to everyone for their patience as we work through our busy season with a construction site in the middle of everything.

Barn Rebuild Update May 2023

The timber frame arrived from New Energy Works in Farmington, NY on May 1st, and over the subsequent three days, we were astonished and delighted to watch the frame assembly process.

Thank you to all who came out to watch the frame go up; especially our General Contractor Sam Soderholm for capturing some incredible drone footage and photos of the frame. Next steps include roofing and siding, which will occur before we finish the flooring.

Barn Rebuild Update April 2023

The foundation has been curing over the last few weeks, and we have just recently put in all the electrical conduits (the pipes that hold the electrical wiring). In the same week, New Energy Works sent some photos showing off our milled and nearly completed timbers! It is very cool to see how they are constructed to fit perfectly together, and we are looking forward to the approaching day when the timbers will arrive on the farm and we will start putting up the frame. We expect this to happen sometime in the next few weeks.

Once the timbers have arrived and all is in order, we will be bringing in some heavy equipment (cranes, etc.) to raise the frame of the barn and secure it in place. While this may not look like the traditional barn raising you may be imagining, it will make our work much safer and faster. Visitors and observers are more than welcome as we continue to restore the heart of this farm! We will alert everyone on our social media accounts, e-newsletter, and this website when the frame is ready to go up, and staff will be available to answer questions during the 3-5 days we anticipate it taking.

Barn Rebuild Update March 2023

Appreciation Announcement: We are proud recipients of a grant from the Yawkey Foundation! The foundation, which is passionate about wildlife conservation and preservation, made a contribution of $50,000 towards the rebuilding of our beloved barn and we couldn’t be more grateful.

‘We were truly humbled and grateful for all of the support we received after the devastating loss of our barn in 2021. This generous gift from the Yawkey Foundation, along with an amazing, far-reaching community effort, has enabled us to help the farm rebuild. Seeing the construction of the new barn start has given us all so much to look forward to. The new barn will give us back vital storage for feed and farm equipment as well as bringing back space for our community to gather,’ said Casey Townsend, NCOF Executive Director.

Read more about this generous gift here.

The basic foundation is almost done curing; next steps will involve installing electrical and putting up the timber framing, walls, and roof of the barn.

Barn Rebuild Update Feb 2023

Construction fencing and erosion barriers (to protect our wetlands) are up, and we broke ground on the foundation excavation on February 11th, 2023! The foundation has been measured out, excavated and concrete has been poured. Next we’ll need to clean up the area and backfill around the foundation, then wait for everything to dry and cure before putting up the timber framing.

While our Construction Zone is up, we are asking visitors to continue to read and respect any and all signage directing them around the farm. All the animals will still be visible by walking down the Pasture Walk towards the Pig enclosures, and the compost toilet is accessible by walking behind the farmhouse (between the farm house and the flower fields).

We are thrilled on the progress we’ve made so far towards our barn rebuild, and are so excited to see it all finished!

Early in the morning of March 17, 2021 our barn burned to the ground.

Henry and Jacob, 6-year-old twins, heard the news and ran to their rooms.

They came back with jingling piggy banks and told their parents they wanted to donate everything they had to help build a new barn at their beloved farm. Their $5.00 gift was the first donation made to rebuild after the fire.

This has been a true community effort, and our last donation towards our initial $1.1 million goal was given by the family of 1-year-old Skyler, a joyful participant in this summer’s toddler program.

We appreciate the generosity of individuals, families, small and large businesses. The Farm Staff and
Board are humbled by the community support and are excited to get the barn rebuild underway.

Check back to this page or follow us on social media for updates as we progress on our barn rebuild!

The Barn Fire: Rebuilding after Tragedy (Video)

please note: footage of the fire and audio from the 911 switchboard runs from 00:22-00:55

Check out this schematic of our new barn & future state-of-the-art attached greenhouse

Our architects have submitted designs, and as of September 2022, we have the permits in hand to begin building!

 

We are excited to continue sharing this process with you; check back here or follow us on social media for more progress updates.

To learn more, contact: Nicky Wilson, Assistant Director of Internal Operations, at nicky@natickfarm.org

Make Your Mark

• Dedicate your gift to your children or grandchildren.
• Make a gift in honor of a loved one.
• Raise funds with a community group.

“A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear.”
–Lauren Davis Baker

We’d love to see and hear your memories of our beloved old barn.
Please email them to us so that we can share them here!

History of the Barn

1815

The beautiful timber-framed barn that stood on this property for 206 years was constructed in 1815. The Bacon family built it from local oak trees from Carver Hill that had been knocked down during “the Great Blow of 1815.” The logs were pulled here by oxen, and then milled into timbers and planks onsite at the water-powered sawmill on Bacon Brook.

1975

Red Wing Farm Project–the beginning of NCOF–moved here in 1975. Youth workers spent that first year repairing the barn and adding the attached greenhouse. The first stall on the left served as the director’s office. The barn served as physical, spiritual, and emotional heart of the farm. It was a learning space, a warm, dry place for animals to give birth, and a community landmark.