Friends of Nolde Forest looking to restore historic barn

Feb. 26—The old barn is a familiar site to those traveling on New Holland Road through the Angelica Creek Valley.

Part of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, the barn is used for equipment storage and serves as a waypoint for those approaching the main entrance to state-owned woodland from the north.

"It's useful as a flag greeting every visitor that comes to know the forest and the thousands of people who travel this valley," said Brent Erb, center manager. "It waves to everyone who passes through."

Built in the 1830s and enlarged in the 1870s, the traditional bank barn is a vestige of Cumru Township's agricultural past, he said, and is contemporary with the historic sawmill at the center's trailhead parking area.

It was there in 1904 when hosiery baron Jacob Nolde bought 500 acres of land that had been clear-cut after decades of farming, charcoal making and lumber production.

The barn was there when Nolde, inspired by the one remaining white pine tree, hired an Austrian forester to create a coniferous forest.

It was there, too, when the property, grown to 725 acres, became a state forest in the late 1960s.

"We've put some good effort and energy into protecting it in recent years by giving it a fresh coat of paint and beginning to clear some of the trees and debris away from it," Erb said.

But if the barn is to remain standing for another generation, it needs help now.

A failing foundation wall is causing its roof to sag and endangering the structure, he said.

"What we know is that if we don't fix it soon, it will lead to a much, much larger problem," Erb said.

Although the Nolde property falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, he noted, the barn is not high on the state's list of priority projects.

Waiting until it rises on that list may be too late.

That's why the Friends of Nolde Forest have taken on the project.

The nonprofit founded in 2005 supports the Nolde property and center's activities.

Among other projects, the group started looking into the conditions of some of the park's infrastructure, said Jennifer Stinson, president of the Friends, and started a historic preservation fund.

"There are such beautiful buildings here, including the mansion, of course," she said, "and we want to preserve them as much as possible. So when it came to our attention that the barn was crumbling inside and that the wall needed to be rebuilt, we said, 'Well, why don't we at least get some quotes.'"

Stinson said the group turned to local contractors with experience in restoring old buildings to develop a scope of work and provide estimates.

"The primary work is rebuilding the crumbling section of wall," Erb said. "All the stones are there, they've simply fallen and crumbled down into a pile."

The cost of rebuilding the wall with existing stone is estimated at $15,000, Erb said.

Without the repair, the wall will continue to crumble and fall, leading to a collapse of the beams and posts it supports and the roof trusses above them. That could easily drive restoration costs into the three-figure range, he said.

"It is a relatively small project today in the grand scheme of things," Erb said, "but very quickly, it could become a very large project, and that's why the friends are invested in working to help us save this barn before it's too late."

In addition to the barn, the Friends earmarked Nolde's historic sawmill for repairs. The building at the trailhead parking lot along New Holland Road needs masonry work and repairs to its wooden floor joists.

"For the Friends, as well as our staff, the focus is on leaving things better than we found them," Erb said.

The forest and its amenities are a good investment for the local community, he noted.

"We've been serving the Reading community and the surrounding area for more than 50 years as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's first Environmental Education Center," Erb said. "All of our facilities and infrastructure here serve our community and our visitors."

More information

For more information about the Friends of Nolde Forest historic preservation efforts or to donate, visit friendsofnoldeforest.org/historic-preservation.html.

To learn more about the Friends other education projects and other activities or to join the Friends, visit friendsofnoldeforest.org/.