The design of a "Dutch" barn really comes from a region of the Netherlands that borders Germany.  Immigrants from that region (Dutch and Palantines from Germany) brought the basic design to the New World.  Most New World Dutch Barns can be found in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys of New York.  However, Somerset, Monmouth and Hunterdon Counties were also home to Dutch immigrants, and examples of New World Dutch Barns are found in these counties as well.  One of the distinguishing features of a New World Dutch Barn is the low side walls and the steep, symmetrical roof.  Double doors intended for wagons were most often found in the gable end.  The wagon doors access the "threshing floor", the largest of three bays in the barn.  The smaller doors on either side of the gable end access the side bays, originally used for sheltering farm animals.

Another distinguishing feature of a New World Dutch Barn is the "H-frame" construction. This type of construction is characterized by a heavy anchorbeam (the large horizontal beam) attached and braced to end posts.  This type of construction allows for a wide central bay for wagons to enter through one gable end, unload their goods, and exit through wagon doors in the other gable end.  Grain was stored above the anchor beams in a loft with a sapling floor.  This floor allowed for good air circulation during storage.  When the time came grain was dropped onto the floor and threshed in the central bay.

The anchor beams in our barn are mortised through the end posts and pegged.  In the picture to the left, the anchor beam has an orange tag - this tag is the label that assisted in the reconstruction of the barn.  The tenon extends through the end post and ends in a taper.   Experts who have seen pictures of our barn describe it as a "scribe rule" barn, most likely built before 1820.  "Scribe rule" refers to a method of framing.