Andover Open Barns: Lecture & Tour
A Day of Barn Exploration with the Experts
Presented by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance in association with The Andover Community Hub and the Andover Historical Society
Update: Online registration is closed. You can still register in person tomorrow (Saturday 9/7) for the barn tour. Please scroll down for details.
The 10am barn lecture is sold out.
Don’t miss this day of historic barns, scenic landscapes, and local history in the hills of central New Hampshire. The barns of Andover link us to the rich agricultural history of the area. Eight distinctive examples will be showcased on the self-guided tour on Saturday, September 7.
The event begins at 10am in Proctor Academy’s Stone Chapel with an illustrated lecture, “The History of Agriculture as Told by Barns,” presented by author and barn expert John Porter and welcoming remarks by Steve Taylor, former Commissioner of N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. Participants then depart for a self-guided tour to explore distinctive barns of this rural community. Experts will be available at each barn to answer questions about architectural features, agricultural uses, framing styles and repair methods. Attendees will also be invited to tour the Andover Historical Society’s 1837 Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse. The well-preserved schoolhouse (which closed in1893) is listed on the National Register and remains in its original condition.
“Barns are disappearing from our New Hampshire landscape,” said Beverly Thomas, Preservation Alliance deputy director and tour coordinator, "and we want to increase appreciation for them and encourage their preservation. It’s exceptional to see that so many historic barns survive in Andover, and are being well stewarded and used by their owners."
Proceeds from the tour will support the NH Preservation Alliance’s barn preservation activities across the state.
Cyclists are welcome too! Enjoy a more intimate experience of the back roads of Andover by cycling from barn to barn along the 20-mile route of paved and dirt roads. The ride offers beautiful vistas, scenic historic properties, stone wall-lined roads and includes a section of the Northern Rail Trail.
Scholarships for students are available. Email events@nhpreservation.org to learn more.
Cost to Register:
Members of partnering organizations: $30
Non-members: $40
Membership Special (tour + 1 yr. Preservation Alliance membership): $50
Online registration is closed. Tickets for the noon-4:30 p.m. touring can be purchased day-of at the registration table which will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Directions to Lecture Hall and Registration Area:
Stone Chapel, 194 Main Street (Route 4), Andover, NH
Look for tables on the village green in front of the Chapel for registration.
Google Map - 194 Main Street, Andover
Parking for registration and the lecture:
Andover Elementary/Middle School, 20 School Street, Andover, NH. On south side of Main Street (just to the east of the Village Green) behind the white Town Office/Library building
Parking also available in Proctor Academy’s lot off Boathouse Lane (the link above refers to Boathouse Lane as Barn Rd.) Boathouse Lane is opposite School Street on the north side of Main St.
We’ll be holding a few spots for handicap parking just off the circular drive to the west of the Chapel
Parking is not permitted along the edge of the circular drive in front of the Chapel.
The tour booklet provides parking information at each barn for afternoon touring.