SPRING MILLS — For six days in January, dozens of Amish men pitched in to do a neighborly favor and worked to rebuild a barn of one of their own, which was ravaged by fire in mid-January.
The author of this article photographed the process for the family whose barn was destroyed and likened the methodic work of the crew to “The Nutcracker,” a holiday ballet loved by so many.
This journey got roots on Jan. 16 when six fire companies were called to Upper Georges Valley Road in Spring Mills for a barn fire. There were issues getting water to the location, and the barn and its contents were a total loss. According to fire officials, the structure was totally engulfed in flames even before the first firetruck arrived on scene.
Not only was the building a complete loss, but so was the hay stored in it, and the woodworking shop of an Amish artisan who constructed furniture.
Plans immediately started in the community to rebuild the structure. The family filled out the necessary paperwork to get the permitting process of the new build started, and on the morning of Feb. 15, work got underway.
The initial efforts were handled by a crew of “English” and Amish laborers who dug footers and poured concrete into the holes that would form the footprint of the new barn.
While the basement walls’ concrete was being poured, other workers were busy close by at the farm’s horse arena. There, the new structure’s walls were being built in the large, covered area.
On Feb. 20, portable lighting was established at the construction site and workers began removing the forms that supported the concrete walls of the first floor. They then placed a pair of steel I-beams and a joist for construction of the second floor’s decking.
Some workers were responsible for choosing planks. Others cut them to size. Some were tasked at putting the planks in place and screwing them down.
As the flooring was being put in place, a crew of 19 men picked up the first wall section and walked it several hundred yards from the horse arena to the second floor. The approach of the workers with the section of wall made the group securing the floor melt away, but their return was swift after the wall section moved passed the partition of the floor. The workers quickly got back to work, screwing down the floor’s planks.
As soon as the final floor plank was screwed down, the last of the outside wall sections was lifted into place and connected to the other sections.
Then, roof work began.
While the floor crew prepared to get the roof trusses in place, the group of workers who had previously carried the wall sections to the structure picked up the first of the trusses and placed it. Within minutes, the next truss was placed. This ballet of construction continued throughout the day, and the crew didn’t stop until after the sun went down.
Just one week after construction began, the entire structure was up, closed in with windows and with one door remaining to be hung.
All told, more than 125 volunteers chipped in to rebuild the structure. The work was coordinated daily through “the hot line,” and the volunteers were told daily via phone message what part of the building project would be worked on each specific day and how many workers were needed.
With the entire process being photographed, the owners of the new barn are able to reflect on the efforts of their caring community, as well as pass on the construction methods applied.
Mary, the matriarch of the family, said she was pleased with the photographs and was happy to be able to show her family the process. She said they lived in Lancaster and were unable to witness the rebuilding.
The efforts of the Amish community to help one of their own is an example of the mindset of many in the Penns Valley community. Examples are many.
The Centre Hall United Church of Christ congregation has turned its parsonage into an emergency shelter because the pastor no longer lives there. The membership decided to use the home as a shelter for families who have lost their home due to fire or other disaster.
The Hope Fund was established to help families of the valley in need. To date, it has given out more than $300,000 to needy members of the community.
The Centre Hall community food bank is housed in the Methodist Church, and the Old Gregg School also hosts food bank services. The congregation at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Millheim also helps those who are in need of food.
There are also many community members who pitch in in other ways: as members of the fire company; the local Lions Club, which collects eyeglasses for those who can’t afford them; and as neighbors who may clear snow from an elderly resident’s driveway, despite never being asked to do so.
