By Dakota Antelman, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – High in its rafters, the Bonnie Dell Farm barn bears signatures of visitors dating back decades.
135 years after it was built, the barn, signatures and all, is being relocated to Boylston’s Spring Ridge farm where its new owners say they’re excited to save a piece of local history.
“It’s very well preserved,” said Tricia May, a co-owner of the Spring Ridge Farm. “It’s just a beautiful barn.”
Throughout most of June, TimberTek, a contracting firm hired by Tricia and Mike May worked to dismantle the barn and transport its individual parts to Boylston. Then, May said, she and her husband plan to store the disassembled Bonnie Dell farm barn in an existing barn on their property while it is cleaned and prepared to be reassembled on their property next year.
For the May family, this process comes at a perfect time. The two, who primarily raise animals for meat and sell their products from their existing farm store, were already looking to expand when they learned of the Bonnie Dell farm barn.
“It was an opportunity to save a barn,” said Tricia May. “It was more exciting to save a barn than to buy something new.”
Once they finish reconstructing the barn, the May family plans to move their farm store into it, assemble a small museum about the history of the barn and agriculture in general, and convert the remaining space into classrooms.
They plan to run classes educating students on how to properly cut, cook and serve meat and plan to offer free classroom space to the nonprofit group Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom as well. Tricia May serves on the board of directors for the group which seeks to educate educators on agriculture.
“They have a very lovely place,” said Carol Munro, a Shrewsbury resident and a former owner of the barn. “They will use it well. They’re also using it for educational purposes. I can’t think of a better way to use it than that.”
Having lived next to it for much of her life, Munro says she is relieved to see the barn go to a new home. Though she grew up with the barn on her property, she said she was sad to see it fall into disrepair in recent years. As its foundation rotted and the barn began to visibly sag, she stopped letting people go inside for safety reasons. She then sold the property last year. Its newest owners, the Tally Ho Realty Trust, made the final decision on moving the barn to the Spring Ridge Farm.
Nevertheless, Munro has talked to the May family about the barn and said they plan to make necessary repairs to it to ensure that it will be safe for visitors.
As the historical landmark she once owned moves out of Shrewsbury, Munro said some other Shrewsbury residents have been sad to see it go. Having watched it age, however, Munro said she is happy to see the barn relocated and restored just over four miles down the road.
“Like everything else, time marches on,” she said. “Change is good sometimes.”
Pictures and videos from the project have been documented on the Facebook page Bonnie Dell Farm Barn Restoration.