Historic Barn, Peaceful Setting, Get TLC
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On the slopes of the Big Pine community, Elizabeth and Larry Gullum purchased what was known as the Stack-Price farm in 2007 and started building a new home in 2014. On the acreage were ruins of a cabin in which a friend’s uncle had been born, as well as an old tobacco barn that dated from the 1920s. Old sled roads, still intact, ended up being a godsend for the heavy equipment and materials needed in the construction process.“In 2016,” Elizabeth wrote, “we engaged Big Pine local Dan Vernon and his work partner, Alfredo Garcia, to repair the ‘legs’ of the barn and to tear down the locust-post lean-to on its side. Dan was able to harvest locust from the property and utilize jacks to assist in the process.” She herself managed to salvage a tin roof from the lean-to to repurpose as a roof on a new shed nearer the house.In describing the setting, she noted: “There’s a spring [on the property], a concrete storage box in our creek and lots of boxwoods that serve as a constant reminder that strong, hardy people eked out a living on this beautiful mountainside.”Elizabeth’s stirring description was a response to the Barn Alliance’s request for Madison County residents to alert us about their farms and barns. Please take a minute to snap a few photos and send details to info@appalachianbarns.org or phone Sandy Stevenson, president, at 828-380-9146. |
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Letter from our President
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Happy Spring!! The year 2022 continues to bring good news -- such a relief from the last two years. We are absolutely delighted that we will be able to host our 2nd Annual Art Gala at the beginning of June.
The new friends that we met and made through our 10th Anniversary celebration continue to enrich our family as we look forward to renewing our friendship with the artists of the Saints of Paint and all of you members that we have not seen in person or without a mask for these past years. Small joys!
Additionally, we have been planning a field trip for all 4th grade students to the Smith Farm and have had to postpone it for the last two years. We have been given the green light to move forward with this event. It will become a yearly happening to provide a first-hand look at an aspect of state history as specified in the NC curriculum guidelines.
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The Old Barn “to be preserved, and to be used as an educational tool for people to know what we are all about around here, and where we came from. That’s what this barn is to me, a testament of where I came from. ” - Elaine Ray Thomas
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The Art Gala is Back!!
The Appalachian Barn Alliance is overjoyed to join once again with our artist friends from The Saints of Paint for our Second Annual Art Gala—A Pastoral Palette—on Friday, June 3. The inaugural event in 2019 brought art lovers and barn lovers together where paintings by Asheville area artists were sold to benefit the mission of the ABA.
We have a few changes as a result of suggestions from those who attended and from our volunteers. This year the location will be at a venue that shares a mission to preserve our rural landscape-- EchoView Fiber Mill, 76 Jupiter Road, Weaverville, conveniently located just ¼ mile from Interstate 26 at exit #15. Additionally, we are offering early entry for our business sponsors and our individual sponsors (we call them "Barn Raisers") to allow first choice of the art and sampling of food and drink. The appetizers and drink will be on the venue's patio with lots of comfortable seating. And, Rebecca King Hawkinson will set up her easel outside and demonstrate the completion of one of her paintings. We have also asked the artists to provide a mix of rural landscapes with their paintings of barns.
Many aspects will remain the same. You will see some familiar names among the participating artists. You can catch an Instagram or Facebook posting as we get closer to the event highlighting works by John Mac Kah, Christine Enochs, Dana Irwin, Mark Henry, Chris Bell, Rebecca King Hawkinson, Bryan Koontz, Andrew Mastriani, Deborah Squier, Julyan Davis, and Carol Parks. Guest ceramic artist is Emily Reason who might be a familiar name from her work at Flow in Marshall. She will be offering an amazing ceramic tobacco barn for sale. Additionally, David Hughes will return with his banjo and fiddle to provide music.
Mingle with the artists while enjoying wine and beer and sampling finger food from HomeGrown, Whole Foods, Sweet Monkey, Mad Co Brewery, and Zuma to name a few. Treat yourself to a unique gala while helping the ABA raise funds for preserving our rural heritage. The ABA currently is working with the town of Mars Hill to repair, restore, and maintain three historic barns on the Smith Farm just outside of Mars Hill on the Bailey Mountain Preserve. Money raised at this event will be used to restore the big burley barn on the site.
The event begins at 5pm for the sponsors with early entry and continues at 5:30pm to other ticket holders until 8pm. Tickets are $45 (or $40 for ABA members). Individual "Barn Raiser" sponsorship is $100 for 1 entry and $200 for 2 entries. For tickets, questions or information go to https://appalachianbarns.org/ or phone 828 380-9146. More details will be available as we get closer to the event, but be sure to mark the date on your calendar now. |
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The Story behind Echoview Fiber Mill
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The owner of Echoview Fiber Mill did not hesitate to host the Appalachian Barn Alliance’s Art Gala which would benefit the ABA’s mission to preserve the heritage of the Southern Appalachian style barn. Julie Jensen grew up on a farm in Iowa and has fond memories of how the local kids used to come over to play basketball in her family’s barn—a fun activity during the cold winter months. When designing the first Gold LEED Certified fiber mill in the US, she paid attention to the building materials.
Even though others see an impressive, modern structure of blonde wood, rusted steel, and large windows, she points out that the building materials are symbolic, representing the three main types of barns found in North Carolina. The red rusted steel reflects the old red barn style; the cypress wood will silver to the color of a tobacco barn; and the galvanized steel and aluminum represent contemporary pole barns. The missions of both Echoview Fiber Mill and the Appalachian Barn Alliance center around compassion —for Echoview, it’s the environment and for the ABA, it’s the heritage of the area.
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 Please forward this to an interested friend. |
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