Another piece of Americana — a 100-year-old barn — will soon arrive on the grounds of the John Blue House.
Phillip McRae, Chairman of the Historic Properties Commission, said the original log tobacco barn is reportedly only one of four left in the state open for public view.
“We are very excited about this project,” Mcrae said. “John Blue continues to grow with attractions and the log tobacco barn is in excellent condition.”
The John Blue Historic Complex, maintained by the Scotland County Historical Properties Commission, includes the John Blue House, a restored cotton gin, the A. D. Gibson General Store, several cabins from the county and a small passenger train. Built in the late 1890s by agriculture businessman and inventor John Blue, the house features original woodwork and brightly colored stained glass. The Scotland County Historical Properties Commission also maintains The History Museum of Scotland County and its automotive and local history collections.
The barn, which was donated to the commission by a family in Robeson County, was slated to be torn down. The log cabin barn boasts two brick furnaces that were originally fueled by wood before oil burners came into use in the 1950’s. The family that made the donation wishes to remain anonymous at the present time.
Due to the size of the barn, it will have to be disassembled from top to bottom before it can be relocated to the Jim Blue House grounds where it will be completely restored, “piece by piece” by the commission.
The building, although worn with vines that have grown up the sides over time, is completely in tact with only a few pieces of steel tin missing from the shelter area.
“The barn is larger than most tobacco barns,” said Jim Walker, chairman of the Scotland County Historic Museum Committee. “It measure 23 feet by 23 feet and has two 12 feet porches and two ovens.” Walker also said that, based on the materials used in the construction of the barn, such as the type of nails used, it is believed to be at least 100 years old.
The historic commission hopes to begin the relocation process within the next few weeks. “It’s going to take a little time and we have to be very careful in the moving process, but we are looking forward to this project and we know that visitors to the John Blue House will appreciate the value of this piece of history,” Walker said.
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