Our Old Bookcase
I took this photograph of the Jerome J. Jutte. Jr. barn, in October 1991, nearly three decades ago, for the purpose of recording the barn builders’ skills, for the book, “Those Magnificent Big Barns in Mercer County Of Western Ohio.” The Mercer County Historical Society published this book, which was printed by the Messenger Press in Carthagena.
This barn was originally built in 1918, when Ben Jutte owned the farm. Herman Meyers was the German carpenter. The main barn was 36-by-60 feet and 39 feet, nine inches to the peak of the roof. The original barn was raised by the men using gin poles and a block and tackle, with one horse. The original barn was built from wood sawed out of the woods on the farm. It was cut and sawed by Hartings Saw Mill. In 1989, Jacob I. Schwartz, from Berne, Indiana, put vinyl siding on the barn. As of 1991, the farm had been in the Jutte family for over a century.
This interior view of the barn shows the vast area of space allowed by the gambrel roof. You can also see the framework of the vertical posts and the horizontal beams, strengthened with braces and pinned with wooden pins. The wooden pinned posts and beams supported 22 tons of slate on the roof. Some of you older farmers may recall these big old barns and climbing the ladder to reach the bales on the top of the mow to pitch to the floor and to feed the cattle.
The mission statement of the Mercer County Historical Society is to preserve Mercer County’s history and to educate the public about that history. Since these big old barns are no longer being built, I do believe that we achieved our mission statement, in preserving the history of these big, old barns in Mercer County.
This book about our big, old barns came about at the end of an era of our Mercer County pioneer heritage. The hundreds of big, old barns in the fourteen townships of Mercer County are losing their place in our heritage. One cannot drive today’s big combines into the old barns.
The barns are becoming outdated. So many families made the decision that the big old barns were too costly to maintain.
Most Mercer countians come together to enable the Mercer County Historical Society members to preserve Mercer County’s rich heritage. I truly thank the rural families who permitted me to photograph their big old barns. I truly thank these families for sharing the history of their barns. I sincerely thank the families who have been able to preserve the big old barns on their farm for history.
When I was elected president of the Mercer County Historical Society in January 1973, the county museum was located on the second floor of the old brick building at the corner of Main and Fayette streets. My first goal was to find a new home for the county museum, when the 1975 Mercer County commissioners had the foresight to purchase the Riley Home, at 130 E. Market, Celina, for the home of the Mercer County Historical Society. I served as director of the Mercer County Historical Museum from 1975 through 2004. As president of the Mercer County Historical Society, I have served as a volunteer in caring for this Mercer County Historical Society and museum since that date. The society’s officers, board of directors, committees and society members also serve as volunteers.
My latest book, “Oil & Gas Boom, Mercer County and Midwest Ohio,” is among the best of the 30 some books the society has published. Thank you to everyone who cares about the past and the future of preserving Mercer County’s heritage. Please don’t forget our heritage and our county historical society.
Mercer County Historical Society President Joyce Alig may be contacted at 3054 Burk-St. Henry Road, St. Henry, OH 45883, histalig@bright.net or 419678-2614.