A Big Ass Barn

Lavender Hall

In February of 1891, J.P. Hutchinson sold the farm of Henry B. Taylor (Lavender Hall) to Col. James Boyd, President of the Philadelphia & Newtown Railroad. It was the last time the old Homestead, which had been in the family for generations. was owned by a Taylor. Boyd contracted with local Builder Garret B. Girton to build a barn of massive proportions.

May 39, 1891 Newtown Enterprise

One of the largest barns in the county is to be erected in Newtown township by Mr. Girton, on the farm of Col. James Boyd, president of the Philadelphia & Newtown Railroad. It will be 104 feet 3 inches long by 57 feet wide, 20 feet to square, shingle roof, and weatherboarded with 6-inch pine plowed and grooved flooring and finished before harvest. It is to be erected on the hill where the signal service station was once located, the highest point in that vicinity, and commanding a view of Pennington, Trenton, Mount Holly and other points. 

Today, it's hard to imagine that you could see those towns from the hill. A topographic map confirms that the location is one of the highest points in the area.

Topographic Map

July 25, 1891 Newtown Enterprise

About Completed.— The large new barn on the 224-acre farm of Col. James Boyd, in Newtown township, is now nearing completion, and by the last of next week the carpenter and painter will have added the finishing touches to the imposing structure. Several tons of this season’s crop of hay have been housed therein, which takes up a comparatively small space when the mows are examined. The building has been erected or good material in the most modern workmanlike manner. In size it is 57 x 104 feet. The peak of the roof is 50 feet from the ground, while the observatory reaches a height of 71 feet. The latter adornment is a two-story affair, from which, on a clear day, Doylestown, Mount Holly, the church spires of Pennington and the white waterstand-pipe of Bristol can be plainly discerned. It is 15 feet square, and will be a point much resorted to by visitors to the farm in order to get a view of the surrounding country. The ground floor is divided with an eye to comfort and convenience. There are three wide entrys, with eight horse stalls and one box stall at one side and twenty-two cow stalls and three box stalls on the other. A big dark potato room has been built under the abutment, as also a place for storing away machinery or wagons. The cistern, supplied by roof conductors, is 10x13 feet with a depth of 9 feet. From this pipes lead to two hydrants in the barn yard and one in the entry to supply the stock with water. It is the intention of Mr. Boyd, however, to erect a wind engine over a well near by, and, in of emergency, have a means of further increasing the water supply.

A wide abutment leads up to two spacious barn floors, with room to accommodate six hay wagons at one and the same time. There are four large mows, two 16x57 feet and two 22x57 feet. Ample room is left for setting and storing machinery, granaries, etc., and a stairway in the centre running up to the observatory. The over- shoot is 13 ½ by 104 feet, the barn yard extending therefrom to a depth of 80 feet. The stone for the basement walls were quarried on the place and are of a superior quality.

When it is known that 22,000 shingles were required in putting on the roof, some idea may be had of the extent of the building. Garret B. Girton, the contractor, feels that he has erected a structure both satisfactory to the owner and himself, and one in which he has taken a pardonable degree of pride. One of these days Mr. Boyd may conclude to erect a residence south of the barn on an elevation commanding the most extensive view in this section of the country, Charles Pugh, brother-in-law of Mr. Boyd, resides in the mansion, and is courteous and polite to those who have lately been attracted to the place by the improvements under progress there.

What an imposing sight this barn must've been. It stood for 36 years until a fire destroyed it in 1927.

1891 Atlas

May 6th, 1927 Newtown Enterprise 

While four women, members of the family of Stefan Pfalzer, two miles north of Newtown, were gathered on the barn floor cutting seed potatoes, late last Monday morning, they noticed smoke coming up through the cracks, and in about an hour the great structure, one of the largest in the State, was in ruins, with its contents.

No clue has been discovered to give an inkling as to the cause of the fire which started in the stable directly under where the members of the family were working. The careless use of matches and incendiarism are the only clues suggested.

Mr. and Mrs. Pfalzer, their daughter-in-law and others had been working on the barn floor for several hours when the fire was discovered. As quickly as possible they released the few head of livestock in the barn, but fortunately nearly all of the horses and cows had been turned out to pasture.

Newtown Fire Company and a piece of apparatus from Washington Crossing, N. J., were soon on the scene but the flames had gained such headway that the barn was beyond saving. The roof was falling in when the Newtown firemen arrived.

Burning embers also set fire to a corn crib, a pile of straw and the Chambers woods, but the buildings were so far away they were not in danger at any time.

The barn, a large one with a cupola, was situated on a high hill and was visible for many miles around, as far as Mt. Holly, N. J., it is said.

Insurance was carried on the building and contents, but the amount could not be learned as the policies are in Philadelphia.

Within the past 10 years this farm has had many owners, but the Pfalzers have owned it only a few months. It was earlier known as the Pugh farm. Later owners were Lewis S. Amonson, who named it Nos Noma Farm. He sold to Charles N. Rose, a Trenton broker, who disposed of it to a man named Brody, who sold it to a man named Swersky from whom it was purchased by the Pfalzers.

This barn was built in 1891, of heavy yellow pine lumber by the late Garret B. Girton for the late James Boyd, of Norristown, shortly after he purchased it from the Taylors. The late Charles Pugh, brother-in-law of Boyd, occupied it under the Boyd ownership. The barn is said to be the largest in Southern Bucks County.

It was insured in the City of New York Insurance Company and the Phoenix Insurance Company of Chester County, PA. Tew new silos that had never been filled, were burned. These cost $1000 and are insured for $800. The entire loss is estimated at $20,000 or $25,000. The fire burned over a considerable portion of Chambers’ woods. It was extinguished by the Newtown firemen with their chemical apparatus.

Unfortunately, we do not have any pictures of this massive barn. An image that we can find is this barn that Garret B. Girton built in Middletown for Henry F. Mitchell in 1901.

Just a month later builder Robert L. Larue was contracted to rebuild the Pfalzer barn.

Robert L. Larue has contracted to build a large barn for Stephen Pfalzer, of Newtown township, to take the place of the one recently burned. The dimensions are 100 by 57 feet, same as the burned barn, and it is to be roofed with asbestos. It is to be an up-to-date dairy barn, with accomodations for 50 cows and 7 horses, with all the conveniences required by modern dairymen. This barn will be one of the largest in this part of the State.

On the 1938 aerial we can see the rebuilt barn, up on the hill. It looks massive in the aerial. From this vantage point it's curious as to why the barn is so far away from the house. Once you understand the topography and realize how much of a hill the barn is on, it makes more sense. They wanted it at the highest point.

1938 Aerial

If we do an overlay with modern roads, we see that the barn would've been in the rear yard of one of the homes on Saxony Drive. Presumably, the rebuilt barn was demolished when Woods of Saxony was built.

Modern Roads Overlay

It's a shame that such an impressive structure was lost to history.