Killarney Guide

Beautiful Gothic barn to provide service for another era 

BY KIM LANGEN

It might be 80 years old, but there’s a whole new life ahead for a rare old barn.

That’s because an intrepid farm family near Dunrea recently made a wild plan to move the family’s historical Gothic-style barn, built back in the mid-1940s, across the fields, and onto the home farm.

And it was no small feat.

“The distance we had to move it was only around a mile as the crow flies,” said Dan Labossiere. “But we had to move across fields, and cross one road in order to avoid the hydro lines. It took around an hour, and it was very stressful. I was worried that the barn might collapse. But the remaining windows – there’s around 10 or 12 of them, all original – they didn’t even break.”

The weather on Monday, December 11 was pretty windy, but the fields were frozen hard, and there wasn’t much snow. Dan and his wife Becky took photos and videos of the creaking event, which was undertaken by experts Kola Movers, from the Austin area.

They used air jacks and air lines to lift the barn onto big steel girders. The girders were laid on what became a very large flat deck trailer for the transport, he said. 

“The Kola Movers were just great,” said Labossiere. “It was a smooth move.”

A new foundation waited in advance for the massive barn, which measured 60 feet by 34 feet, with an impressive height of 36 feet.

“It was set down on some concrete walls that we built specifically for it,” said Dan Labossiere. “It will sit a little higher, around four feet, to accommodate a four-door garage entrance. It is a very tall barn. There are not many of these barns left, and very few in such good condition.”

The elegant barn was moved from its home on the Charles Beaupre homestead, a section that is part of the 5,500-acre Labossiere family’s multi-generational grain farm. 

Dan Labossiere said he felt compelled to keep the barn in good condition, partly to honour the wishes of his grandmother.

“It was built by Charles’ son Edmond,” said Labossiere. “Edmond was my great-grandfather. The Carney Brothers were the ones who actually built the barn; they were probably out of Dunrea. And it was my great-grandfather’s pride and joy. My grandmother Lorraine grew up on that homestead, and she always worried about that barn. My father even put a new coat of paint on it about 20 years ago.”

He said his late grandmother would have been so pleased to have been witness to the moving day.

“It was a huge load off when we set it down,” said Labossiere. “My grandma – she would have cried for days with joy. She was a real crier. She would love that the barn was being resurrected, but she would also be worrying that we would go broke doing it.”

The barn was originally built onto a poured concrete base, which may have helped ensure its longevity, said Labossiere.

“It was used for milking cows, for hay storage, and grain storage for a while,” he said. “The stanchions were still there when we started using it around 25 years ago for grain.”

Plans now include renovating the building for its new life near the Labossiere home.

“We will restore the loft,” said Dan Labossiere. “It will become a multi-purpose farm building, and we’ll also put in a washroom for the farm staff. We have a lot of plans for it. Daniel Simpson is going to help us in developing the project, and it’s going to be great.”

GOTHIC BARN GLORY – It was a slow and careful creep across the frozen fields on Monday, December 11, as the Kola Movers travelled a mile-and-a-half with their massive load of an 80-year-old Gothic-style barn on board. The Labossiere family wanted to relocate their beautiful old heritage barn next to the newer family home, and give it a whole new lease on life. Not one window broke during the move.

HEADING TO THE NEW HOME – Above, the Kola Movers pulling the 1940s barn towards its new home at the Labossiere family farm. Below, the Gothic-style barn, originally built by the Carney Brothers (likely from the Dunrea area) after it was set down on a new foundation. On the right side you can see the cut-outs for the four new future parking areas.