The Huntington Historical Society uses the Conklin barn to hold many of
its activities. It is heated in the winter and is air conditioned in the
summer. The barn is also rented to many community groups, and is an important
source of income for the society.
The original barn on the Conklin Farmhouse property had deteriorated to the
point that it had to be taken down many years ago. In 1990, under the
direction of the then Executive Director,
Zachary
Studenroth, a "new" barn was acquired for the property. The barn, built in
1830 on the Taylor farm in Laurel Hollow, was relocated to the Conklin
property to replace the original barn.
What was saved and restored from the Taylor barn was the frame. The
entire foundation and exterior covering was new, but was patterned after what
the original would have looked like. The original roof material and wall
fabric were badly weathered and discarded when the the original frame was
salvaged. Some of the old siding was saved and used for the interior
walls. The foundation had a heating system built into it and the
walls were insulated enough so that the building could be used year round.
The
barn raising took place in October 1990, and from then until January of the next
year, the barn was used in a partial state of completion as a "Barn Boutique" to
raise funds to complete the construction project. The Boutique featured
locally crafted, traditional gifts, such as quilts and iron toys, and there were
some antiques sold on consignment. There were also items on sale,
reproduced from the museum's collection.
While professional barn restorers did some of the work on the barn raising, much
of the effort was done by area volunteers and businesses donation their time.
There was tremendous support from the community in building the barn.
Zachary
Studenroth, a "new" barn was acquired for the property. The barn, built in
1830 on the Taylor farm in Laurel Hollow, was relocated to the Conklin
property to replace the original barn. 
What was saved and restored from the Taylor barn was the frame. The
entire foundation and exterior covering was new, but was patterned after what
the original would have looked like. The original roof material and wall
fabric were badly weathered and discarded when the the original frame was
salvaged. Some of the old siding was saved and used for the interior
walls. The foundation had a heating system built into it and the
walls were insulated enough so that the building could be used year round.
The
barn raising took place in October 1990, and from then until January of the next
year, the barn was used in a partial state of completion as a "Barn Boutique" to
raise funds to complete the construction project. The Boutique featured
locally crafted, traditional gifts, such as quilts and iron toys, and there were
some antiques sold on consignment. There were also items on sale,
reproduced from the museum's collection.