What is a barn raising?
Q: What is a barn raising?
A: A barn raising is a collective action of a community, in which a barn for one of the members is built or rebuilt by members of the community.
Q: What were barns used for in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America?
A: Barns were a necessary building for any farmer.
Q: Why did barn raising become popular in North America?
A: Building a farm needed more people than a typical family could provide, and barn raising addressed the need by getting members of the community, unpaid, to help in the building of their neighbors' barns.
Q: How did barn raising work?
A: Each member was entitled to recruit others for help, and one or more people with experience or specific skills were chosen to lead the project.
Q: What was the benefit of participating in barn raising?
A: The favor would eventually return to each participant as their community members would help them in the building of their own barns.
Q: Who were typically chosen to lead a barn raising project?
A: One or more people with experience or specific skills were chosen to lead the project.
Q: What could young people who helped with barn raising expect?
A: Young people helping for the first time have watched many barn raisings and know what is expected of them.
