1894

• Henry Thornell was the property owner when the barn was built in 1894.
• Once the land was no longer farmed, potatoes were stored in the barn’s cellar and loft.
• Hay was stored on the barn’s main floor and used to insulate the barn walls to protect the potatoes from the cold.
• Josh Bruner purchased the property in 1983.

• At the time this barn was built, the Wells Truss design was being modified.
• This barn is missing the traditional “Lazy W” window castings.
• The height of the barn from its floor to the peak of its roof is 65 feet.
• The lower level of the barn was used as a milking parlor and to board horses.
• This barn features two lofts with different widths.

According to the research of Wells descendent Bob Pratt and his wife Judy Pratt, this 4,000 square-foot barn located on the crest of Mendon Center Road is one of the earliest Wells barns constructed. Built in 1894 under Henry Thornell’s ownership, this barn was built during a time when the signature Wells truss design was being modified.

The barn’s lower level was originally used for boarding horses and as a milking parlor. After that, the barn was used for storing potatoes in the cellar and upper loft areas while the main floor was used for hay storage.

Josh Bruner, the barn’s current owner, purchased the property in 1983. In 2016, Bruner renovated the barn’s basement into a workshop including an area for metal work and fabrication.

© Dick Thomas Photography

Archival Images Courtesy of the Jean Melville Collection / Town of Wheatland Archives