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Barns of the nineteenth century were multi-purpose structures. The main floor was used in the fall and winter months for the threshing of grain. Threshing is the process of separating the grain from the stem. Straw and hay were also stored in the corners of the main floor. The hay was used to feed the horses and sheep, while the straw was used as bedding for the horses and cows. The barn was the heart of the farming operation.
The Adena barn is a bank barn and is so called because it utilized the natural hill features of the farm. It is built on the site of one of Worthington’s many barns. The dimensions of the barn are 45’ by 100’.
An entry in Worthington’s 1803 diary states the summer had been spent in building a large barn. Other diary entries mention several other barns on the property.
An 1815 map of the Adena farm shows a building in the ravine north of the house and is described in the fire survey of 1821. The survey states as follows: “(Barn) situated in a deep hollow nearest distance 150 yards from insured buildings (Mansion) and the top of the roof being lower than the foundation of the mountain.” A later map (1840) shows a building in the ravine at the site of the present barn, but shows an enlarged version with the north end across a stream and a ramp at the entrance. The foundation indicates that the barn on this site was 42 X 100 feet.
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Adena Mansion and Gardens
Thomas Worthington & Family
Tecumseh
The Old Northwest Territory
Ohio Statehood
Great Seal of the State of Ohio
Benjamin Latrobe
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Adena Mansion & Gardens Society manages this site on behalf of the Ohio History Connection.