A Whatzit from Ken Parr's barn.

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 02:11:19 PM

I have a friend in da U.P. that live up near Sault St Marie. We see each other a few times a year as we go to many of the same engine shows. I got a chance to go visit with Ken at his place for the first time while I was up Bear Hunting. I thought Ken brought cool stuff to the engine shows but never had a clue his pace was so jam packed full of old interesting things. The old barn he built with his dad is a story in its self that I will relay later. Ken has it typed out and put on the wall of the barn as you enter for all to read.

To start off, here is a photo of The bigger Barn that Ken and his dad built with Ken and forum member Harold Bobo standing out front.

And here is a whatzit from Ken's barn. Do you know what it is?

Solved: Corn Cob Dryer

Texas Ranger · October 23, 2006, 02:22:28 PM

a ladder for dem mice ta get out of the snow

crtreedude · October 23, 2006, 03:31:37 PM

old alambre (that is barbed wire for you yankees)...

Am I right?

slowzuki · October 23, 2006, 03:39:15 PM

1820's TV antenna

thecfarm · October 23, 2006, 03:48:37 PM

Something like a ground wire?

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 03:58:58 PM

Nope to all so far. If you look there is a hok near the bottom where you can string several of these together to hang.

thecfarm · October 23, 2006, 04:02:26 PM

Its raining here so I'll keep guessing.Is it to hang corn on to dry?

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 04:17:23 PM

There ya go.

OK, here is another one.

Solved:
Control stick for a bull. Hooks the nose ring.

Robert R · October 23, 2006, 05:09:44 PM

Man, I was sure it was a trophy from a Texas walking stick hunt.

Don P · October 23, 2006, 05:29:06 PM

I'm guessing but it looks like she could fit it thru the ring in my nose pretty good :

;D

Mooseherder · October 23, 2006, 05:30:10 PM

A Chain Tightener.

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 05:48:03 PM

Don P has got it. Its a control stick for a bull. Its used for hooking the ring in the nose.

Here is another.

beenthere · October 23, 2006, 08:22:33 PM

Just the green item, or is the red item w/wheels part of the "whatzit" ??? ???

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 08:24:26 PM

Taped up just inside the entrance of Ken's barn is a two page typed story of the raising of his barn. I thought you would enjoy it. I know you would enjoy visiting with Ken and the fellows that hang out in his shop during the day.

This barn was built by Fred E. Parr and Ken Parr

December of 1974, Dad ( 70 years old) and I started taking out logs on this property to build a barn. We used axes, old bent up chain saw, my 1948 VA Case Tractor and a one bunk wooden dray to haul the logs out to the yard.

Dad would work during the day by himself limbing, cutting down trees, and making skid trails. He would use an ax and a one-man saw. Note: I had and old dog called Smoky, Lab and German shepherd cross. A couple times a day he would go back to the woods and check on Dad. I would haul out the logs at night after my work and Dad and I would work together on the weekends. The days were pretty short at that time of year.

Neighbor Karl Stolt wanted the experience of working the woods so he would come over and help limb the spruce trees. He said "How can your Dad do it. He just doesn't seem to swing that hard or fast and has already limbed a couple of trees and I'm still hacking at the 10th or 11th limb." Some of these spruce limbs were very tough. My answer, "He worked the woods all his life and knew how to hit the limbs.

As we brought in the logs, we picked out which we wanted to use for framing. Such as upright posts, rafters, cross tie pieces, plates, purling timbers.

January 1975, we started bringing the timbers into the garage. We would peel, hew, notch, and cut to length what we needed out of each. Dad worked through out the day and we would work together in the evening after supper. When we completed all the frame work in the garage, we had a pile of bark and chips about 3'high x 6'wide x 20"long, all frozen to the floor. I only had a barrel wood stove that didn't create much heat but kept warm by working.

When spring came along, many of the logs were hauled via my old truck and a hay wagon to Vern Sawyers sawmill on M-129 to be sawed into sheeting for the barn. The main plates and purling were sawed my Vern. When we got them back (by that time we had the bark and chips cleaned out of the garage), we made the splice and mortise joints, ready for assembly. June 1st, we had footing and piers in place and poured the floor in the stable areas.

When the cement was set up, we got raising the barn. We assembled each cross section on the ground and raised into position. First the east center was put up, then east end and main plate and purlin were installed. Then the west center was put up, the west end and plates and purlin were installed. Next the main plate and purlin were installed across the two center sections. As these sections were raised, much temporary bracing was used. Then went up the rafters. Note: Error was found. The rafter length was laid out for a 1" ridge board but had to use a 2" ridge board.

Roy Eagle (around eighty years old), Dad, Ivan Sabisch and myself installed the metal. Dad and Roy handed up the 18' metal to us. Note: It appeared that the roof was out of square so Ivan and I taped it corner to corner. It was out of square 1/8". The metal roof went on real nice. We had the barn frame up and the roof on in less that one week.

Next, the temporary bracing was removed and we installed the proper pole braces and sheeted in the frame. Outside done except for the doors and windows in two weeks. We installed the upright support post for the hay loft over the stable and then the joists. The stable is all double sheeted with 30' felt paper between.

The doors and windows were made and installed. The roller tracks on the north side, for the drive through doors, came from Eugene Pingatore's old barn on west Six Mile Road. The other came from Bill Carley's old barn on Ridge Road and Six Mile. After that it was ass the cattle stanchions. The electricity came about a few years later. The west addition was added in the mid 1980's by myself and my nephew Dave Brown.

The drive through and east side cement was poured in 2002. Also off the property, I took out the post and floor joist in the winter of 2002 and in spring peeled them. That early fall, installed the joist and sheeted in the floor.

After I completed the barn, Arvid Norlin, Chippewa County Extension agent came down and looked it over. He commented that he though this was the last barn in the county to be raised this way.

My children and their friend had many good times playing in the barn and with the cattle. Our boys particular, had many bad times being required to clean the barn, feed and take care of the cattle. Our oldest son, Roger, (he really hated those cows) could have those chores done in 15 to 20 minutes while son Richard might take two to three hours. In fact, we use to check on him. He would be sitting on the cows back playing, chores still not done. Lannie was to young and wife, no way unless absolutely no one else available.

Ken Parr

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 08:24:47 PM

Just the green machine. ;D

Jeff · October 23, 2006, 08:37:48 PM

Here are a couple three photos snapped in the barn. Every inch of the barn has something of interest not to mention the construction of the barn itself. is a beautiful well kept building.

Harold and Ken

Furby · October 23, 2006, 08:42:21 PM

Some kind of sprinkler?

thecfarm · October 23, 2006, 08:50:23 PM

What a story.When my father and me was cutting wood,he would walk into the woods and cut and limb trees all day for four days,but he used a chainsaw.He was in the woods long before chainsaws.He use to cut the trees down with his Homelite and limb them out with an axe.I work 4 days a week,4 on 4 off,12 hours days.We would twitch logs for 3 days.Useally on the fourth day we would have to drop a few more.Back to work I would go and back to the woods he would go.Made for a lot of memories.He was in his 70's when this was going on and getting chermo treatments too. Just couldn't slow him down.