[Note: this was an essay I wrote for my Canadian Architectural History Course at Yorkville University]

The Walbridge Barn, located in Mystic, a hamlet in the Eastern Townships of Quebec near the United States border, is a unique and interesting building. It was restored in the 2000s as a historic landmark and museum to display the innovativeness of early Quebec agriculturalists as well as a representation of a once-great entrepreneur and industrialist, Alexander Solomon Walbridge, whose ambitions defined the region.

Below, I explore the unique features of this historic landmark and attempt to uncover the mysteries behind its quirky design.

About the architect (and owner)

Alexander Solomon Walbridge was born on October 12, 1828, in a town called Mystic (near Bedford) in what was, then, known as Lower Canada or the Cantons of Stanbridge. His father, Solomon, had built a successful farm business and established various businesses, including a sawmill, a local tavern and an inn, and the younger Walbridge was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. (Pigeon, 2007, p. 17)

However, Walbridge didn’t show much proclivity to the business of farming and, instead, was drawn into mechanics. In 1846, (at 18 years old) he moved to New Hampshire for further education in the construction of mills and complex machinery. There, he apprenticed under a man named Peter Paddleford. There, he applied for his first patent: a saw-planing machine. (Ibid.) 

In 1854, he moved to Malone, New York to study advanced mechanical engineering and spent some time working at steam engine and railroad companies. (Wires, 2017) He remained in Malone until, abruptly, in 1963,  he left and travelled to Washington, D.C. for unknown reasons. (Pigeon, 2007, p. 19) While there, the American Civil War was heating up and, since Walbridge had voted in the 1864 election (to appoint Lincoln to a second term), he was conscripted to join the US Army. To avoid going to war, he left the country quickly and returned to Canada. (Ibid., p. 20)

After returning to Canada for good, Walbridge received power of attorney for his family assets (his father had passed 11 years earlier, but his mother had been running the businesses and land). With fortunes he made stateside and access to the family wealth, he made the decision to open a foundry and machine shop in the area. In 1867, he purchased land with water running through it and secured the right to use the water as long as it didn’t interfere with other mills in the area. (Ibid.) Only four years later, Walbridge’s new businesses “held fixed assets of $3,000 and as much again in floating capital.” (Ibid.) This would be the equivalent of about $75,000 today. His foundry sold some of his patented inventions, such as metal lathes, horse-drawn hay rakes, and manual fire extinguishers as well as cast iron kitchen utensils and sewing machines. (Ibid., p. 42)

During this time, he married Harriet Eliza Taylor, with whom he would go on to have eight children - Lena Elizabeth, Mabel, Almira (deceased at a young age), Helen, Ann Eliza, Adelia, Alexander Solomon (known as Allie and the only boy), and Lois Josephine. (Ibid., p. 23)

Early on, Walbridge set his sights on the railway industry and spent a lot of time catering a large part of his business around this type of customer. 

Alexander Solomon Walbridge…put a lot of effort into getting a railway station for Mystic. Even before the station gets built, he erects a boarding house near the railway line…(he) knows that a station near his workshops can only benefit his business. Set up for completion and finishing of wagon wheels…the business in Mystic is soon repairing and turning wheels for the Lake Champlain & St. Laurence Junction Railway Co. (Ibid., p. 21-22)

His focus on the railway industry led to his success as well as his eventual downfall. One of his biggest customers, the South Eastern Railroad (SER) Company, started to struggle and fall behind in payments in the early 1880s and owed A.S. Walbridge $7,970 (over $220,000 today!) in arrears. (Ibid., p. 41) SER was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) company during that time and offered a settlement of $5,000 to Walbridge, who declined and took the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada. He should have taken the offer as the court dismissed his case in 1895, leaving him with no payment and a lot of lawyer fees. (Ibid.) Though he continued to do a decent business through his consumer product foundry, this miscalculation and his untimely death only two years later pretty much wiped out any generational wealth.

He died in 1897 (at the age of 69) in a freak accident while repairing his self-built power station. While trying to access some of the machinery, the heavy trapdoor of the enclosure came loose and fell on his head killing him instantly. (Pigeon, 2007)

About the building

The Walbridge Barn is unique and full of mystery, which is one of the main reasons I’ve been drawn to it. The barn was built between 1881 and 1882, making it the first of its kind in Quebec (and, possibly, all of Canada). (Canada's Historic Places, 2004) To date, it is still the only dodecagonal barn with a multi-gabled roof in the country. (Ibid.)

The barn has a 24-metre (80’) diameter with each of the dodecagonal sides being 6.25 metres (20’ - 6”) wide. The structure is 2 ½ storeys high with the hayloft occupying the ½ storey at the top. (Missisquoi Museum, 2022)

The following features make this structure incredibly unique:

• The layout - both the shape (12-sided polygon) and the functional layout

• The technology used - namely, the turntable bridge and mechanical hayfork at the center of the structure

• The materials and finishes - the use of plaster and lathe walls, oxblood red clapboard, etc

Each of these features could become an essay in itself.

Layout

There are several unique things about the layout of this barn.

The shape of the barn is the first unique feature of the layout. The polygonal shape sets the design aside from other barns built in the Eastern Townships. There were multiple octagonal barns being built throughout the United States, such as in Indiana:

Along with the evolution of the science of agriculture and the corresponding improvements in farming practices, innovations have occurred in farm buildings that have aided farmers. One such innovation was the round/polygonal barn. With 219 round and polygonal barns being built in the state from 1874 to 1936, Indiana may deserve the distinction of having more round and polygonal barns than any other state in the Union. (National Park Service, 1993)

And though Walbridge isn’t reported to have visited Indiana, there were multiple round and polygon barns being built in New York State, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. 

However, the trend of building polygonal and round barns in the Eastern Townships of Quebec wouldn’t burst onto the scene until after 1888, likely influenced by articles “in the Illustrated Journal of Agriculture” (1885 and 1887) promoting Elliot W. Stewart’s octagonal barn in Lake View, New York. (Pigeon, 2007, p. 32) At one point, there were 33 in the Eastern Townships, all near the US border, of which only 7 remain today (Farfan, 2010). 

The shape is even more unique in that it is a 12-sided polygon (dodecagonal) design, the most sides of any other historic barn in Canada, and the roof is multi-gabled rather than domed, conical, or gambrel like other similar structures. (Pigeon, 2007) The choice of the dodecagon is one of the unsolved mysteries of this structure. This will be explored later.

The other unique features of the layout were functional. 

Resting on a masonry foundation, the structure (rose) up two stories, the ground floor serving as stables and the first floor mainly as a hayloft. (Pigeon, 2007, p. 27)

In the center of the first floor, a large hole (approximately 20 feet wide) was cut through the floor to the lower level and a swivelling bridge was installed (this will be covered in the technology section). Surrounding the opening was a 3-4’ wide bridge, then this inner court was enclosed with shuttered walls.

Surrounding the central court were several partitioned hay lofts with lots of natural light and ventilation to aid in the airing of the grain.

The lower level is accessible from the outside only (“a well-placed door gives ground-level access to the outside” (Ibid.)). It allowed for cattle to roam freely, which was “quite avant-gardiste for the time.” (Ibid.)

From the foundation to the peak of the parapet, the barn would have stood out to anyone.

Technology

Another unique feature of the barn is the mechanized turntable bridge that occupies the center of the structure. Ever the mechanical engineer, Walbridge installed a rotating bridge in the center of the structure “to streamline the unloading and storage of hay.” (Darch, 2018) Operating much like a rotating platform for the newest luxury car you’d find at an auto show, the design allowed for a horse-drawn hay wagon to enter the barn, turn around to unload, and then turn again to exit the same way it entered. 

There was more automation in the design as well:

Through a system of cables and pulleys, a waterwheel stationed in the adjacent stream powered a drive shaft fitted with gears that supplied enough energy to operate a hayfork, threshing machine, grain conveyor and corn cutter. (Ibid.)

This feature holds another mystery related to the design of this barn. What inspired the installation of the bridge? Was it ever powered, or was it always manually operated (as the restored bridge operates)? 

Materials & finishes

Though the building that you can visit today is almost completely rebuilt from the ground up (not merely restored), the architect in charge of the restoration, Jacques Nadeau, took extra care to ensure authenticity. That being said, there are some major differences to point out.

The original foundation and lower level were built with clay-fired bricks, manufactured by Walbridge himself. These bricks were also used to build the family mansion nearby (which was torn down long ago) and didn’t hold up to time. The recreated version uses a stone masonry technique that would have been used frequently in local buildings (and is found in many nearby villages). This stone masonry has an “authentic” feel, would save money, and will last a long time (Ibid., p. 28)

The original clapboard siding would have been installed with wood (likely pine) and painted in the oxblood red tone, which was common for the English barns in the region (Ibid.). The update uses aluminum siding in an oxblood powder coat, likely a decision for both budgetary and longevity reasons.

The original interior walls were covered in plaster and lathe, none of which remain (minus a few small areas where visitors can see the evidence):

Certain parts of the interior wall and ceiling still show signs of plaster and lathe, which probably made things more comfortable for the animals. One thing is certain, the white wall plaster contributed greatly to the diffusion of the light. It also seems that the walls were regularly coated with lime to keep the space bright and clean. (Ibid.)

This was all removed for the restoration and underneath this coating, much of the wood structure remained. 

Summary

Overall, the Walbridge Barn was a striking building with unique detail and cool technology. Though it fell to disrepair after Alexander Solomon Walbridge’s untimely death in 1897 (the family didn’t have the funds to maintain it), it survived better than many of the other buildings on the property. In the mid-1970s, Walbridge’s great-grandchildren formed a conservation fund (some of it made up of hereditary money) and invested in the restoration of the barn as well as the overall environmental protection of the ancestral lands. (Pigeon, 2007, p. 51)

The Walbridge Barn was declared a historical landmark by the Ministre de la Culture et des Communications du Québec on May 27, 2004. (Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec, 2013b)

Analysis

According to historical records, “Alexander Solomon could have chosen the type of all-purpose rectangular barn that was starting to appear in the region,” (Pigeon, 2007, p. 25) but as we already know, he chose a much more elaborate structure with all sorts of mechanical upgrades instead.

While the exact reasoning behind Walbridge’s choices wasn’t recorded, there are some clues peppered throughout his records. His engineering personality, travel experiences, available publications, and emerging trends could have all influenced his thinking. 

Mystery #1: Why a dodecagon?

As mentioned earlier, the Walbridge barn was the first of its kind in Canada. Prior to Walbridge’s designs, barns in the area had, largely, been rectangular. So, why choose this unique polygonal shape for his building? Why 12-sided? What sparked Walbridge’s imagination?

There are several theories about what could have influenced his design and, following, I explore five of these ideas.

Theory #1: George Washington’s hexadecagon (16-sided!) barn

Though the theory that Walbridge would have been influenced by this historical structure is a bit of a long shot, it is reported that he visited Washington, D.C. from 1863-1864.  During those years, the 16-sided (hexadecagon) treading barn built by former US President, George Washington, would have still stood in its place (it would be knocked down 7 years later). (MVLA, 2023) 

This 16-sided structure, built in 1793, preceded the polygonal and round structure building trend that wouldn’t really take off until much later as mentioned in the introduction. This would make Washington even further ahead of his time. 

The two designs are similar in that the barns were on two levels, the upper level was constructed with wood while the lower level consisted of brick, and you had to access each level from the exterior. Overall, though, there were more differences than similarities between these two structures (the most obvious differences being the number of sides and the roof construction).

The one striking similarity between Washington's and Walbridge’s barns was that they were both designed to solve a technical issue. The 16-sided barn wasn’t for aesthetic purposes, it was invented to make grain processing more efficient and secure:

Beginning with a simple concept—to construct a circular wooden treading floor large enough to accommodate horses that were enclosed from the elements of weather—Washington sought to improve the efficiency of this basic treading process and simultaneously reduce opportunities for theft. The barn included a treading floor located on the second floor of a two-story structure that the horses could access via an earthen ramp.

Washington conceived of the innovation of leaving spaces between the floorboards so that the heads of grain, once separated from the straw, would fall through to a granary below. There they could be temporarily stored in a central octagonal structure, then winnowed, and sent to the mill. The result was a building that was conceptually as much a machine as it was architecture. (Pogue, 2019)

The shape of the building was “due to the greater ease of constructing straight sides instead of curved walls” rather than being a stylistic choice. (Ibid.) In this way, the Walbridge barn design could have been sparked by recalling Washington’s innovative thinking. Because there are no records that indicate this, it’s difficult to know.

Though it is plausible that Alexander Solomon Walbridge caught a glimpse of this uniquely shaped barn while visiting D.C. in his mid-30s, there are other more likely influences on his design decisions.

Theory #2: Orson S. Fowler’s book about “The Octagon House”

Another potential suspect in the influence of the polygonal shape of the barn could be the publication of A Home for All by Orson S. Fowler in 1848. In his tome, Fowler muses that the rectangular shape of most dwellings is quite unnatural:

I kept continually asking myself, “Why so little progress in architecture, when there is so much in all other matters? We continue to build the same square form adopted by all past ages. Is this necessary? Cannot some radical change for the better be adopted both as to the external form of houses, and their internal arrangement of rooms?” And in looking about for some general plan, I said to myself, “Why not take our pattern from nature? Her forms are mostly spherical. She has ten thousand globular or cylindrical forms to one square one. Indeed, how very few squares we see in nature. Why not, then, adopt this spherical form for houses?” (Fowler, 1848, p. 6)

He goes on to suggest the polygon as it is closer to the natural cylindrical form but makes for simpler framing. Though Fowler is specifically referring to building affordable housing, this book could have fallen into Walbridge's hands. As his biographer writes, “certain ideas of (this) author would have pleased him.” (Pidgeon, 2007, p. 26)

Theory #3: Elliot Stewart’s Lake View Barn

Right before Walbridge built his dodecagon barn, there was much hoopla about an 8-sided (octagonal) barn in Lake View, a New York State town near Buffalo:

(I)n the agricultural filed, another unique personality could have influenced Walbridge’s choice. In the summer of 1874, a fire burns down four rectangular barns on the farm of Elliot W. Stewart near Lake View (Eerie County) in New York State. These are quickly replaced by one octagonal barn, 80 feet in diameter. A lawyer by profession but also a well-known gentleman farmer, a teaching professor at Cornell University and an editor of an agricultural journal, Stewart has all the necessary assets to publicize his new construction. (Ibid., p. 26)

In the July 1876 publication American Agriculturalist, Stewart wrote:

A barn of this character offers an opportunity for division and arrangement, such as cannot fail to meet the circumstances of any farmer, whether it be used for stock or grain. In fact, its simplicity and roominess are such, that few farmers would care to encumber it with much, if any, inside fitting, as nothing of the kind is really wanted, except the stalls for cows and other stock. If these were built low, or not more than four feet high, the general view of a lot of fine stock, thus arranged, would be one of the most attractive sights that could be met with amongst the many pleasant things about a well-ordered homestead. (Stewart, 1876, p. 259)

Using many of the same arguments made by Fowler, the polygonal building was catching on in multiple circles (the 1800s version of virality, perhaps?). The promotion of Stewart’s octagonal barn in multiple agricultural magazines would have very likely caught the attention of Walbridge who subscribed to most of these publications (especially the American ones). (Pidgeon, 2007, p. 26)

It is theorized that the article’s publication in the widely circulated Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs in 1878 (a few years before the Walbridge Barn was built) is what brought the idea to Canada. (Ibid.)

Theory #4: The number twelve

Though the polygonal shape was becoming de rigueur for building practices, the choice of the 12-sided polygon (the dodecagon) was not as clear a choice. There could be a few reasons that Walbridge chose this number.

The first reason could align with Walbridge’s desire to blaze new paths. The octagon was ubiquitous, and, hence, no challenge for this innovator. The decagon would have been an obvious choice, however, Walbridge’s ambitions wouldn’t have stopped there. 

If it were just about pure ambition, he could have lept past 12 to choose the tetradecagon or beyond, but he stopped at the dodecagon. Perhaps the Christian in him stopped at 12 to consider the symbolism of this number:

In the book of Revelations, there are many references to the number 12, including 12 gates and 12 angels. It's a significant number in Ancient Greece as well — the Greeks worshipped 12 major gods of Olympus.

Even beyond that sphere, the number 12 is ever-present. From a dozen eggs to the 12 ribs on the average human to the 12 inches that comprise a foot (a height measurement we still use in Canada, despite using the metric system in most other instances). (CBC News, 2012)

Beyond these signals, the engineer in him would have been quelled as well. The angles in a regular, symmetrical dodecagon are 150° (interior) and 30° (exterior) and “a dodecagon can be formed 10 triangles.” (Smith, 2023)

Additionally, all of these are various dodecagonal shapes, demonstrating the flexibility:

The dodecagon, it turns out, is a pretty elegant number and makes for a beautifully shaped structure. 

Theory #5: The Martinsburg Railway Roundhouse

The final and the most likely influence to cover is the Martinsburg Railroad Roundhouse in Piedmont, West Virginia. As mentioned earlier, Walbridge was a railroad enthusiast and would have taken the time to stop to check out any and all railway structures.

As Pigeon writes in her historical account:

Remember that in 1863 and again in 1865, Alexander Solomon visited several Civil War battlefields. However, because of its important railway installations, the town of Martinsburg played a key role at the time of the Civil War between North and South. (p. 29)

You can’t mistake the striking similarity between the roundhouse and the Walbridge Barn. The multi-gabled roofs, the high ring of windows on the center parapet, and the ventilated top with skylights. This original design was destroyed in 1863 (during the Civil War) and a new one with a completely different silhouette was built in its place a few years later. Before its destruction, Walbridge could have visited and, because of his keen interest in railroad construction, would have, at the very least, been aware of it. (According to Pigeon, it “was a unique and innovative building” and would have been something that caught Walbridge’s attention) (Ibid., p. 30)

Whatever Walbridge’s actual reason for the choice, his decision held up as well as the barn.

Mystery #2: What inspired the turntable bridge?

The final mystery, which is much easier to guess is what inspired the turntable bridge in the center of the building. The aforementioned roundhouse provides the key.

Though the turntable had been removed many years prior to the restoration and used as a replacement bridge on a nearby stream (Pigeon, 2007, p. 31), his son, Allie, described it in great detail:

The heavy cross beam forming part of the top of the turntable fitted into a central hub, itself affixed to the umbrella structure of the dome; to solidify this structure and better distribute the weight of the turntable, twelve solid metal rods connected (the) central hub to the corner posts of the barn. This metallic structure is still in place. (Ibid.)

Though some have romanticized that Walbridge set up an entire mechanical turning structure, run by his local power plant, it is more likely that the bridge was turned by manpower while the hayfork and threshing machines were powered. In many roundhouses, the turntables are still moved by hand, a result of an elegant design using counterweights.

Looking at the turntable mechanism still functioning at the Martinsburg Railway Roundhouse, it isn’t difficult to make the assumption that Walbridge plucked the idea straight from his passion for railway engineering.

The legacy

As mentioned earlier, Walbridge’s sudden death after a series of financial blows left his family with a large number of buildings and businesses that they weren’t able to fully sustain. Allie, his only son, was only 14 years old when he inherited “the brick Big House and its annexes, the adjacent lot with the old 1843 house and the foundry site.” (Pigeon, 2007, p. 43) All of the buildings and businesses required serious upkeep and maintenance, which was routine for Walbridge, but a mystery for the rest of his family.

Allie, who tried to operate the farm alone after his mother’s death in 1903, eventually moved to Westmount in Montreal, deciding “he was not cut out to be a farmer.” (Ibid., p. 44) Over the years, he let out the land and barn for farming and tried to maintain the house as a vacation rental, but due to a lack of funds and a busy life in Montreal, things started to slide. 

It wasn’t until 1974 and the creation of the conservation corporation that the barn would be brought back to life.

Conclusion

Even though the Walbridge Barn fell into disrepair and was nearly forgotten over the years, its innovative and unique structure inspired many others. 

In Ontario, the Cordukes/Weber 12-Sided Barn has a direct tie to the legacy of the Walbridge Barn:

The Cordukes/Weber 12-Sided Barn was built in 1919 by Thomas Cordukes who was born and grew up near Mystic.  He left Quebec for the Sowerby area in 1881, prior to the original barn being built, but returned often to visit family and would have been privy to the progress of the Wallbridge (sic.) barn. (Huron Shores, 2022)

The trend that led to dozens of round and polygon barns being built from 1888 to 1928 was, at least, partially influenced by Walbridge, though much of the credit has been awarded to Elliot Stewart’s articles. (Pidgeon, 2007, p. 32)

Another building that may have, potentially, been influenced by the Walbridge Barn is Stratford’s Festival Theatre, which was built in 1956 by Robert Fairfield. (Stratford Festival, 2022)

Unfortunately, even though I read the entire historical account of Walbridge’s life and legacy by Danielle Pigeon (the only full book on the subject matter), visited the museum and barn several times, spoke at length with the archivist, and combed through years of old newspapers first hand, I didn’t uncover any more evidence to solve the mysteries behind the design of the Walbridge Barn. I did, however, come to my own theories on what led Alexander Solomon Walbridge to design such a marvellous structure.

I’d like to think that all of the potential influences listed above were part of his thinking.

He was likely to have been made aware of Washington’s farm and innovative barn design while in D.C. He likely picked up Fowler’s book at some point and read his musings on the benefits of a polygonal or circular house. A few years later, he likely came across Stewart’s articles in the agricultural periodicals, which piqued his interest even more and reminded him of his previous discoveries. At that point, he was probably seriously thinking about what shape his new barn would take. He would need to put his own take on this structure and that is where the engineer and Christian man in him thought about the number 12. Finally, in order to be next-level fantastic, he would pull the ultimate inspiration from his railroad engineering experience and travels. He would recall the Martinsburg Railway Roundhouse, which he knew was no longer standing, and all of the incredible touches that make the Walbridge Barn stand out would be solidified, including the magical and useful turntable bridge.

References

Abbott, L. (2002). Alexander Walbridge, the Visionary of Mystic. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10744342/ 

Blumenson, J. (2005). Robert Fairfield, architect: “the ‘saint’ who saved the day”. Ontario History, 97(1), 15–28. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA151039632&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00302953&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=cchs_main&aty=ip 

Canada's Historic Places. (2004, May 27). Alexander-Solomon-Walbridge Barn. Historicplaces.ca. https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8212&pid=0 

CBC News. (2012, December 12). What’s the historical significance of the number 12? CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/what-s-the-historical-significance-of-the-number-12-1.1249300

Craft, K., & Ruppenstein, A. (2017, August 16). Grange Alexander-Solomon-Walbridge Historical Marker. The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org). https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=77846 

Darch, H. (2018, August 18). Who would ever think alligators once lived in Mystic? Journal Le Tour. https://journalletour.com/mystic-alligators/ 

Farfan, M. (2010). Round Barns. Townships Heritage WebMagazine (Archived). https://web.archive.org/web/20110829145058/http://townshipsheritage.com/article/round-barns 

Humphreys, B. A., & Sykes, M. (1980). The Buildings of Canada: A guide to pre-20th-century styles in houses, churches and other structures. In Parks Canada. https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/7173/buildingsofcanada.pdf

Kehne, C. (2002, June 12). Film chronicles Walbridge legacy. Brome County News. https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2970174 

Masse, M.-C. (2019, September 9). The Round Barns of the Southern Townships | Eastern Townships (Quebec). Tourism Eastern Townships. https://www.easterntownships.org/article/951/the-round-barns-of-the-southern-townships

Missisquoi Museum. (2022). Homepage. Musée Missisquoi. https://museemissisquoi.ca/home

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union (MVLA). (2023). George Washington’s 16-Sided Treading Barn. George Washington’s Mount Vernon; Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/farm/treading-barn/ 

Municipality of Huron Shores. (2022). The Historic Cordukes/Weber 12-Sided Barn. Huronshores.ca. https://huronshores.ca/pointsofinterest/the-historic-cordukes-weber-12-sided-barn/

Musées Brome-Missisquoi. (2023, May 24). Missisquoi Museum - Stanbridge East. Les Musées de Brome-Missisquoi. https://museesbromemissisquoi.com/en/missisquoi-museum/

MVLA. (2023). Reconstructing George Washington’s 16-Sided Barn. George Washington’s Mount Vernon; Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/farm/treading-barn/reconstructing-washingtons-16-sided-barn/ 

National Park Service. (1993). National Register of Historic Places. In National Park Gallery. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/64500218_text 

Pigeon, D. (2007). The Walbridge estate in Mystic. Ministère De La Culture Et Des Communications.

Pogue, D. J. (2019). 16-Sided Barn. George Washington’s Mount Vernon; Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/16-sided-barn/ 

Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec. (2013a). Grange Alexander-Solomon-Walbridge. Culture et Communications Du Québec. https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=93297&type=bien

Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec. (2013b). Walbridge, Alexander Solomon. Culture et Communications Du Québec. https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=8064&type=pge

Ricketts, S., Maitland, L., & Hucker, J. (2004). A guide to Canadian architectural styles (2nd ed.). Broadview Press.

Smith, W. (2023, May 25). Dodecagon Unveiled - Applications, Properties, and Examples. The Story of Mathematics. https://www.storyofmathematics.com/dodecagon/

Stratford Festival. (2022). Timeline. Stratford Festival Official Website. https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/AboutUs/OurHistory/Timeline

Weisstein, E. W. (2023). Dodecagon. MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource; Wolfram Research, Inc. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Dodecagon.html 

Wilkin, D. (2019). Missisquoi Heritage Trail. Townships Heritage WebMagazine. http://townshipsheritage.com/attraction/missisquoi-heritage-trail

Wires, W. (2017, December 24). Alexander Solomon Walbridge (1828-1897). Wikitree.com. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Walbridge-318

Figures

1. Stylized image of the back of the barn by me

2. Barn against blue sky by me

3. Alexander Solomon Walbridge: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Alexander_Solomon_Walbridge.jpg

4. Image of Walbridge and his fellow railroad engineers in Malone - courtesy of the Walbridge Collection

5. Image of various ads from A.S Walbridge Foundry and Machine Shop - courtesy of the Walbridge Collection

6. Image of Alexander Solomon Walbridge's Children - courtesy of the Walbridge Collection

7. Image of ad targeting railway companies from A.S. Walbridge - courtesy of the Walbridge Collection

8. Image of the barn from the Brome Missisquoi regional website - https://www.brome-missisquoi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/saint-ignace-de-stanbridge-brome-missisquoi_02.jpg

9. Revit elevation of the barn by me - measurements are approximated

10. Image of the turntable bridge by the author

11. Image of the bridge and turning mechanism from below by the author

12. Image of stone mason foundation by me

13. Image of clapboard siding by me

14. Image of wood framing interior by me

15. Image of the metal roof detail from a screenshot on this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whEAz8bQg9U&t=22s

16. Image of the old brickwork on the interior by me

17. Washington’s original barn photo - 1870: https://mtv-main-assets.mountvernon.org/files/resources/da_000626_001.jpg (75 years post-construction) (originally constructed in 1792)

18. Closeup of floorboard gaps in Washington's treading barn from this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/fS5NL6HnqYM?si=mPQVBF3VjTZt3T49&t=137

19. Collage of Fowler's book and quote by author, images of book taken from: https://ia802601.us.archive.org/20/items/ahomeforalloran00fowlgoog/ahomeforalloran00fowlgoog.pdf and Fowler image by Mathew Brady or Levin Handy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orson_Squire_Fowler.jpg

20. Pages from American Agriculturalist from: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/245536#page/293/mode/thumb

21. Dodecagonal shapes:  https://mathworld.wolfram.com/images/eps-svg/Dodecagon_1000.svg

22. Martinsburg Railroad Roundhouse By Unknown photographer - Geoffrey Accursi: Pre-1895 Railroads & Steam Engines, Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_and_Ohio_Railroad_Martinsburg_Shops#/media/File:Baltimore_and_Ohio_Railroad_Martinsburg_Shops,_circa_1858.jpg

23. Drone shot of cologne turntable: Tim Kohlen, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Train_Turntable_Cologne_Drone_Shot_(212306729).jpeg

24. Roundhouse mechanism: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ns4CjCEgLkE/VViwe_00jrI/AAAAAAAAMc4/ZXGTLHDpSKk/s1600/20150418-Martinsburg-Roundhouse-102.jpg

25. Stratford Festival Theatre: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/08/02/02_festival_panorama2_wide-90a3c8e438902a1bd6f007d522387b261202c7fb-s1100-c50.jpg

26. Screenprint by Geneviéve Duplessis, Mansonville artist of Mystic Barn: https://www.genevieveduplessis.com/granges-rondes