Cantilever Barns of East Tennessee
By daniel horton
Cantilever barns, such as the one above, are a variation of what’s known as a crib barn. Crib barns are a regional barn, found mostly in Appalachia[1]. Barns of this kind are quite unique, as they are traditionally found in two counties within the United States: Sevier and Blount[2]. The distinguishing feature of this barn is an overhang, what is considered the cantilever, and two log cribs under it, which supports the larger second story. However, some cantilever barns may have one crib underneath.
Marian Moffett, writing for the Tennessee Encyclopedia, states,
“In studies of mountain buildings made in the early 1960s, Henry Glassie identified these barns as characteristic of the southern highlands, indicating that they were found in North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia. In the 1980s fieldwork by Marian Moffett and Lawrence Wodehouse found only six cantilever barns in Virginia and another three in North Carolina. By contrast, 316 cantilever barns were located in East Tennessee, with 183 in Sevier County, 106 in Blount County, and the remaining twenty-seven scattered from Johnson to Bradley Counties."[3] Moreover, Moffett writes that the most accessible examples of cantilever barns are in Cade’s Cove.
Cantilever barns were used for a variety of reasons. The lofts, held by the cribs underneath, were used primarily for storing hay. The overhanging feature of the barn increased the ease of access, making the loading from wagon to barn an easier task. The cribs were primarily used as pens for livestock, while the sheltered area under the loft was used for storing equipment or grooming animals. Additionally, barns of this type that are still in use may be used for the drying of tobacco. However, this does not appear to be the use for which they were constructed.
Physical evidence, in the form of documents, regarding these barns are rare to find. Most barns of a similar construction seemed to have been constructed by later-generation settlers in the years between 1870-1915. Most of these barns were built farms intent on subsistence farming, where all-encompassing spaces for corn, livestock, seed, feed, and equipment were essential to the productivity of the farm. Moffett speculates that the design may come from bank barns, which are German styled barns found mainly in Pennsylvania. Bank barns are built into a hillside with an overhang on the side that is facing outwards. Moffett writes, “Pioneer blockhouses in East Tennessee and elsewhere had modest overhangs on all four sides of the upper story, and these may have inspired the shape of later barns.”[4]
Moffett and her colleague Lawrence Wodehouse, who co-wrote the book on it (cantilever barns), have speculated that the barns are an amalgamation of various barn stylizations. These barns were a practical design that were constructed to meet the issues of the time. Barns of this kind used techniques and tools that were readily available. Additionally, the rainy and humid climate of the mountains made storage difficult for people previously, which the cantilever barn helped to resolve. Additionally, the large, overhanging roof protects the livestock and products within the barn, as rain falls many feet away from the properties inside. Moffett writes that the most accessible cantilever barns can be found at the Tipton Homeplace and the Cable Mill at Cade’s Cove.
[1] Moffett, Marian. “Cantilever Barns.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/cantilever-barns/.
[2] Moffett, Marian. “Cantilever Barns.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/cantilever-barns/.
[3] Moffett, Marian. “Cantilever Barns.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/cantilever-barns/.
[4] Moffett, Marian. “Cantilever Barns.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/cantilever-barns/.