Log Barn
c. 1840
This barn came from Denbigh, north of Kaladar. To the early settlers, the barn was as important as the family lodgings. It was where their tools, animals, feed, and harvest were all sheltered. Fire, or any kind of destruction to the barn, would set the farmer back, financially, many painful years.
Barn Construction
It is believed that the two sections of this barn were built either as two separate barns, or one an addition to an original section. One end is hand-hewn squared timbers, and the other is round log construction. When joined together as one barn, the hand-hewn end was the stable. Animals, such as oxen and cows would have been sheltered there at night. The larger section of unhewn logs was used for threshing and grain storage. Barn construction in Ontario made use of the mixed forest that the early settlers found upon arrival. Framing was in oak or red pine. Cedar provided the material for roof shingles. Elsewhere on the farm, a variety of tree species provided for the special needs of the farmer.
The Log Barn is home to the new 'Roots to Rebellion' exhibit where you can explore early settlement through the eyes of Pickering and Durham's Black community.
Here you can experience early settlement duties such as plowing, stump pulling, and fence building through the interior and exterior exhibit elements. Learn about Black history and be guided through the exhibit by Millie, a fictional 11-year-old girl whose family came to Canada on the Underground Railroad. Millie will tell her family’s story through a series of audio clips throughout the exhibit spaces. These stories and activities will illuminate the injustices faced by early white and Black settlers, the issues leading up to the Rebellion of 1837, and the reasons why many Black families were Loyalists.
Developed in partnership with Sharon Temple National Historic Site and Museum, Mackenzie House (Toronto History Museums), Fort York National Historic Site (Toronto History Museums), Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society (Black Mecca Museum), Archives of Ontario, Canadian Race Relations, and the Government of Ontario.
This online project was developed with the support of the Digital Access to Heritage program. Digital Access to Heritage is managed by the Museum Assistance Program, through the Government of Canada.
Did you know?
Farming in Upper Canada was hard and endless work for the first generation of settlers. The government created a “fair” system of free land grants. Land grants were awarded to all settlers for their loyalty and/or service to the Crown and in the Military. The amount of land a settler would get depended on the amount of service and rank in the military.
Many were promised 100 acres for each head of household and 50 more acres for each family member, plus provisions. For a family of four this meant you would receive 250 acres. On average Black soldiers received half of what was promised.
Photo: Stump pulling. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.