Photos: History On The Move
The Hilton Barn was slowly moved from its original location to a piece of land across from Route 85A on March 29th in New Scotland.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Rolling a 430,000-ton barn from one side of Route 85A to the other on Tuesday took precision and time. Joseph Hilton had Frank Osterhout built a massive barn on his New Scotland farm in 1898. A barn-raising, with 160 men volunteering, was held on Saturday, March 25, of that year; the crew returned to complete the work on Monday and Tuesday, March 27 and 28, according to an Enterprise account at the time.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Every six minutes, the barn moved roughly five feet as employees of Wolfe House & Building Movers worked inside the barn to tighten up any straps that might come loose as the barn made its way over the road to its new home by the Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail — 118 years from when it was built.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Before the barn made the historic move to its new home, workers from Time Warner Cable, National Grid, and Verizon took off their wires, bottom left, to lie on the ground so that the heavy transporter could move the barn easily across the street.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Two large yellow I-beams on wheels anchored by clamps and heavy straps held the barn into place so it could be moved. The barn is as tall as it is wide — 60 feet — and twice as long. The developer that bought the land on which it stood was going to tear it down. The New Scotland Town Board worked with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Voorheesville Community and School Foundation to save it. The conservancy bought 1.1 acres across the street for $27,000 with one of the Hilton family heirs, Jennifer Hilton, donating her share from the sale of the property, and a donor providing the rest of the funds. The VCSF is currently raising more funds for the project.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Its new home: The barn sits quietly on machines until a decision is made about how the barn will sit on the foundation at the barn's new location.