Charles Fish Barn Raising Program

Raising the Charles Fish Barn
Bents A & B
Bent C
Bent D
Bent E
Bent F
As of May 14, 2005

Completed Frame

Completed Barn

Kids Activities

Kids and Pegs

As part of a program sponsored by the History Channel Save Our History program, children from several Mercer County schools participated in the Charles Fish barn project by making oak pegs that were used to connect the timbers in the bents of the restored barn.  On May 14, during the barn raising, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes joined Howell Farm's Pete Watson in presenting historic preservation awards to the two schools involved.

A teacher from Lore Elementary school in Ewing Township accepted the award for his school.

The principal of the Cambridge School in Princeton accepted the award for her school.

After the presentation of awards from the History Channel Save Our History program, Pete Watson instructed Brian Hughes and the children from the schools involved in the peg project in how their pegs would be used in Bent D.

Brian Hughes and his children then demonstrated pounding the pegs securely into the mortise and tenon joint at one end of the large swing beam.  Afterwards each school child took a turn pounding in the peg he or she had made during an earlier visit by their class to Howell Farm.

Mercer County Park Commision Executive Director Kevin Bannon and his family also participated in pegging together Bent D.

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