Thought that Coolspring Power Museum was an engine museum? Duh, of course, it is, and one of the best! So, why am I writing about a chicken house? Read on as the puzzle resolves. But, we have to start back at the beginning to see the story unfold. It will be a very pleasant tale.
The chicken house
The view of the chicken house from my rocking chair invokes many pleasant memories each morning, and I am very happy with this project.
The chicken house was built by my dad, Earle Harvey, in the early 1950s. Amazingly, almost everyone in town had a small chicken coop in their backyard. Most are gone now, but I can see them all with my mind’s eye. It was my duty after school to feed and water the chickens and deliver the eggs to the store across the street for resale. We usually had two dozen white leghorns, which produced very well, and a huge white rooster we named Charlie. I got along with him fine, but my Dad did not, always getting his shin spiked. So Charlie became a Thanksgiving dinner.
Years later, when I owned the general store, I sold the huge brown eggs that my six Rhode Island Reds produced. Those were good days. I also always had six or eight “bantams” that free-ranged and were very happy doing their thing. They were always friendly and sociable. Yep, the building had a long history of housing chickens and did a great job.
However, in the next decade or so, the building became a catch-all for all kinds of museum trash. Seems that it was easier to just stuff all kinds of junk there. Soon, the squirrels got the idea and 6 inches of debris littered the floor. It was time to save the building.
Just looking out my kitchen window is the chicken house. I easily see it every day. It will always be there. I never thought about making it an engine and artifact display area. But as I get older, I wanted to find a place to house so many of my unique mechanical goodies — hmmm. So I called Dobson Construction and they are transforming this building into a delightful display building at much less cost than a new structure.
Excellent job
So let us see what is happening. The first job was to stabilize the building. The 70-year-old-plus buff brick columns were failing, and the structure was sagging in its center. Dobson’s skid steer was used to support the building while the new back wall was being built. It’s interesting to note that the huge black walnut tree seen in my photos, was there when I was a kid 70+ years ago.
The excellent idea of Dobson Construction was to remove the brick pillars and replace them with deep concrete pads and a heavy laminated beam. The structure is completely level and stable now. By doubling the floor joists and installing new flooring, it will support the weight of several small engines. As the entrances are being completed, the new red shingles have already been installed, beautifying the building’s appearance. With extensive cleaning, the interior appears original, and the roosting platform, laying nests and feed room appear far distant. However, with a huge walnut tree hovering over the building, we see the indomitable squirrels have already filled the laying nests.
All the hurdles have been overcome, and the structure is becoming a beautiful museum display building. Hmmm! Now what are the best items to show here? I’m already thinking and choosing, but that will have to be a later topic.
The structure is blessed with a huge multi-pane, front window. The choice display should be placed here to be viewed from the outside. Note that one pane is etched, “Brookville Granite Company.” There is just no history found about this company.
It really looks like a big project, but I’m going to make it happen. To make it a quality display, a lot of work has to be done.
This has been an exciting project so far. I feel that preserving a vintage and significant structure, as well as making a prime display area is very significant. My part two follow-up will be published in the spring.
