East Monitor Barn

Helping to Preserve A Beloved Barn

Background

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) is one of many conservation corps across the country. Founded in 1985 and located on a 400-acre campus in Richmond, Vermont, VYCC offers paid service positions to young adults (ages 15-26) who work on small teams to tackle high-priority forestry, carpentry, outdoor recreation, agriculture, and other projects throughout Vermont and neighboring states.

In any given year, VYCC will offer approximately 200 Corps Member positions to young adults wanting to work outdoors, be part of a tight-knit team, and roll up their sleeves in hopes of making our communities and landscapes healthier and more resilient. The VYCC mission is to take action and build community by working and learning together with the land.

VYCC is fortunate to have several historic buildings on its campus. In 2005, VYCC completed restoration of the West Monitor Barn. Nearly twenty years later, they have begun restoration on the nearby East Monitor Barn.

This was a heritage rehabilitation project and brought together a small team of four instructors and twelve volunteers to focus on timber frame conservation practice. The subject is one of the well-known Monitor Barns of Richmond, Vermont, a very large barn of 4 stories and 54’ x 112’ and 9 bays. The whole building was lifted to allow for the repair and replacement of some of the lower-story timbers that were the subject of this workshop.