Forebay Pennsylvania Barn With Ventilation Slits Built Into Rock Wall Stock Photo

Barns play an important part in the rural landscape and Pennsylvania has many fine examples of many types. One of the earliest types of barns are log crib barns constructed of wooden logs an open interior floor plan and gable roof. One of the most distinctive types of barn in our state is the Pennsylvania Barn, a stone foundation bank barn with a projecting forebay or overhang. Prototypes for this barn can be found in Germany and Switzerland, showing its transplantation from Europe. This type of barn is also called a Switzer barn. Decorative elements associated with architectural styles are also applied to barns in the form of cupolas, pointed arched windows and wooden trim. To build foundations for barns and dwellings, poorer farmers turned to fieldstone—naturally occurring stones that rose to the surface of soil as settlers worked and cleared their land.