Replacing an historic wooden barn roof

National Park Service workersreplace the wooden roof on the Spangler Barn.

The historic Spangler Barn in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is a replacement of the earlier Civil War-era barnwhich burned down in the 1890's.

Though the barn does not date from the battle,it is on the site of the original barn and is preserved as a historic representation. The barn required a new wood shingle roof in 1997 which the park preservation crew put on by hand. Each shingle had to be sized to fit and attached to wooden lath over the rafters.

Barn siding, doors, gutters, and the foundation all needed repair which was accomplished over a two and one-half month period. Barns were an important building for farmers in the 1800's, just like they are today and suffer most from the elements and natural damage due to their size, design, and use. Pennsylvania bank barns, like the Spangler Barn,are slowly disappearing from the landscape and the National Park Service is making its best effort to maintain the barns left on the battlefield.

The barn is part of the Joseph Spangler estate, which was purchased and donated to the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1991. At that time, all of the buildings, including an 1850s two-story brick farmhouse, were in a deplorable state. Click here to read more about the restoration efforts on the Spangler complex.

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