1881 Scarborough Barn

Built circa 1850 atop a hill at Interstate 35 and U.S. 290, our Scarborough Barn is one of the oldest still in an agricultural use in Central Texas. It was once a part of Scarborough family farm just north of Austin. It features large, hand-sawn timbers to fit inside each other, and fastened with wooden pegs. It is a common design for barns built before the Civil War. This double-pen barn could stable six horses or mules and store seed or animal feed in two granaries. The loft was used for hay storage when built. Extended sheds on each end made room for draft tack, harness and wagons. Finely constructed barns such as this were a hallmark of successful farms in mid-1800s Texas. Barns were often finely built, for they sheltered important tools and animals. The barn today is part of our Bell Farm and is interpreted for 1881 when it was the centerpiece of a cotton planter’s spread.