Stratham, Exeter Heritage Commissions Host Historic Barn Program

Renowned New Hampshire old barn expert John C. Porter will be speaking on Friday, February 20th 7:00 pm at the Stratham Municipal Center, 10 Bunker Hill Avenue, Stratham. His presentation “The History of Agriculture as Told by Barns” will include photographs of local historic barns, as well as a segment on architectural details also using local barns. This program is free and open to the public.

John Porter gained his knowledge of barns from growing up on a dairy farm and having a 40-year career with the UNH Cooperative Extension as a professor and statewide dairy specialist. Porter also serves on New Hampshire Historic Agricultural Structures Advisory Committee and coauthored the book, “Preserving Old Barns: Preventing the Loss of a Valuable Resource.”

In early November in preparation for his talk, John Porter accompanied Nathan Merrill of the Stratham Heritage Commission on a tour and photographed 14 barns – 11 in Stratham and 3 in Exeter.

Rebecca Mitchell, Chair of the Stratham Heritage Commission commented “The Seacoast region is extremely fortunate to still have many early barns still standing. Each one has a story to tell about how the area evolved. They are such an established part of our daily landscape that we are in danger of taking them for granted. Try driving along local roads and block out all the barns you pass – the landscape would be dramatically altered. Just as we should not take barns for granted we should not fail to recognize the burdens barns can be to their owners. The Heritage Commission is excited about John Porter’s program because it is an opportunity not only to learn about barns but also to recognize and thank the many barn owners who keep these iconic structures standing in our midst.”

In New Hampshire, heritage commissions are made up of citizens appointed by municipal governing bodies to manage, recognize, and protect their communities’ historical and cultural resources. Basically, a heritage commission does for historical and cultural resources what a conservation commission does for natural resources: it advises and assists other local boards and commissions; conducts inventories; educates the public on matters relating to historic preservation; provides information on historic resources; and serves as a resource for revitalization efforts.

Following enabling state legislation passed in 2002, Stratham and Exeter decided to grant property tax relief to barn owners who can prove that their barns or other agricultural structures meet the criteria for eligibility. Simply put, the aim of this easement program is to ensure that repairing and maintaining a barn will not result in an increased tax assessment of that structure.

The Stratham and Exeter Heritage Commissions hope that the February barn program will encourage more barn owners to take advantage of the barn easement opportunity.

For more information contact the Stratham Heritage Commission at 778-7979 or Heritage@strathamnh.gov.