Barn-Raising: More Than Construction

The time-honored tradition of barn-raising is alive and well in America's Amish communities. Before the days of construction equipment necessary to lift up the frame of a barn or other large structure, entire communities would gather to help one of their local townspeople bring a large frame from the ground into a fully-standing position within just a matter of minutes. Because the Amish do not utilize much modern equipment in their building techniques, the raising of a large structure requires the elbow grease and brow-sweat of 10-to-700 local able-bodied members of the community in order to get the structure off the ground. For many, this is not simply an act of construction, but a community effort to ensure the prosperity of their fellow Amish neighbors. Taking a walk around an Amish community, one is likely to find Amish structures that were raised hundreds of years before. For more information on the tradition of barn-raising, check out the Amish America blog. For the finest detatched garages, sheds, and other structures, consult the experts at Better Built Structures.