Our Story
Emily's Barn
Our daughter, Emily, is an avid collector of model horses. The wages from every odd job and every egg sale result in the purchase of a new horse! Emily needed shelter for this herd and so she came to me and requested a barn. She also needed a woodworking project for our 4H club. Talk about two birds with one stone!
Emily constructed her horse barn, with my guidance, from oak timbers that I had purchased at a farm auction.
The framing was authentic, complete with beams, purlins, knee braces and plank sheathing. We even cut and applied our own shake shingles, all 546 of them! Emily's barn was a hit with everyone and won "Best in Show" at the 2006 Tuscola County Fair.
People continue to be amazed at the detail and authenticity of that little barn and the kids have endless hours of fun stabling their horses there.
My Story
I am a carpenter here in rural Michigan. Living on a farm that has been in the family for 100 years, I have repaired and restored old barns, some dating from the Civil War. Many of our country's barns are falling into disrepair and are becoming victims of the bulldozer and match. Modern farming no longer requires this kind of structure and so they are destroyed and with them go pieces of our history.
A Historic Decision
A few years ago, I was asked to remove a local barn that was in bad shape. The timbers and boards were hand hewn oak and cork pine, over a century old. I couldn't bear to burn it so I hauled load after load back to our farm to be reused.
Recently, it occurred to me to use that lumber for building toy barns like Emily's. With the current danger from imported toys and their lead paint, why not provide a toy that sparks a child's imagination, is not harmful and preserves our rural heritage? Therefore, we at Streamside Farm™ are proud to offer our line of miniature barns.