Knox Brigman Barn

Address:

Ten Point Lane & US 25/70

Year Built: 1940s

Historic Owners: Knox Brigman

Description:

This barn is known to many local folks as the “Wall Drug” barn. For many years its roof was painted with a large “Wall Drug” advertisement sign, contracted by the Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota, after a visit by Knox Brigman and his wife while part of a cross-country bus tour. By the 1980s the paint was beginning to flake, and since Mrs. Brigman wanted to replace her living room furniture, she negotiated with the Sterchi Furniture Company in Asheville to repaint the barn roof with a large “Sterchi’s” ad in exchange for a piece of furniture. The barn advertisement tradition was once prevalent throughout the mountains for barns adjacent to roadways, and served to provide the owners with freshly painted barns. The property is known by many as the Talton Farm. The barn is a thoughtfully designed burley tobacco barn, and is one-of-a-kind in its use of ventilation doors and other features. To safely view this barn, drive into the Dry Branch FW (Free Will) Baptist Church parking area during non-church hours.

Historic Use: burley tobacco

Type of Construction: Post and Beam and Sawn lumber

Siding Materials: Milled Boards

Roof Shape: Gable

Roofing Materials: Other

Roof Framing: Milled rafters

Foundation: Wood sills on rock piers and Mortared Stone

Species of Wood: Chestnut and Various Other

Hinges: Commercial Metal

Fasteners: Wire nails

Additional Features:

end hallway doors are sliding doors mounted on metal rails. The use of hinged vent doors on two level is an uncommon feature and is an innovation for the area, yet is not found in other parts of the county in this specific form.

Outbuildings: a ruined springhouse is near the barn. Other buildings are several hundred feet down the branch near the old house

NOTE: The information above is an abridged list. For the full unabridged list (complete details), please download the PDF of the Data Form above.