In an era of RF towers obstructing views, signs of climate change, the advent and development of GMO’s, talk, and some evidence of, the geo-engineering of our weather, and with radiation leaks contaminating our waters, I look to the barns here as remnants of a golden age of agriculture when farms once lined our streets. Memories of a time when the land was productive and nature somehow seemed endless in its possibility and beauty, linger.
Driving down Jefferson Road toward Pittsford Village, the Zornow Barn, built in 1885, with its pale yellow barn boards and large-scale roadside presence, is what’s left of the many Zornow farms along Jefferson Road. The Zornow Barn was in danger of being torn down until funds were raised in 2005 to repair it.
Historic Pittsford, together with the Town of Pittsford Historic Preservation Commission, received an award from the Landmark Society for outstanding restoration of the historic barn several years ago.
Not only is the barn considered significant, architecturally, but its location places it at the ‘gateway’ of the west entrance to the Village of Pittsford.
The Zornow family immigrated from Germany in the 1850’s, and was large with several branches, according to Robert Corby, Pittsford’s mayor. The example that remains of their farms along Jefferson Road, has historically significant design features.
The barn’s gambrel roof construction was designed to store hay. According to Mayor Corby, in the mid 19th century, the innovation of a hay track allowed farmers to avoid gathering loose hay with a pitchfork into a wagon to be forked into a barn—a very time-consuming task.
“With a hay track, a farmer could pull a wagon right into the barn, a claw would drop down from a cable, grab the hay, and pull it back up on a pulley. There would be a track along the ridge of the barn allowing you to drop the hay wherever you wanted it, which meant more efficient storage,” said Mayor Corby.
According to Corby, the hay track became the organizing feature of the upper parts of barns for the rest of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
The gambrel roof, well-represented by the Zornow Barn, was innovative, because, “…with a minimum amount of materials, it maximized the area that would accommodate hay. The intent of this design was for the walls to resist the outward pressure of the hay, which could be significant,” said Mayor Corby. “This barn was constructed out of dimensional timber—no heavy timber frames. All of this is very typical of the late 19th century.”
Design that follows function, weathered exterior that’s seen hundreds of years, Zornow Barn: another stately barn along the side of the road on the way to a uniquely historic village.