Western Maine is blessed to have so many skilled craft people living and working here and that they earn enough to make a living. Some of these crafts are not your everyday type of jobs. As many know, whenever I see a 'Fox & Sons' sign on the road, I like to pull over and be a 'sidewalk supervisor'. To see just a handful of people work at lifting a building off of its foundation and moving it to a temporary spot (usually for the construction of a new foundation) is just fascinating. Here's an example of a current job:
It was also an eye-opener to learn that a number of buildings around town were once in a different spot. So, it was not uncommon for a barn, a house or a section of a home to be moved across the field, across the street or across town. And often without the assistance of mechanical equipment. Just using strength, brains and animals. Which leads me to the Old Fox Barn on Slab City Road. After the passing of Fred Fox, the barn and farmhouse were slated for demolition. I am not certain of the exact sequence which resulted in the saving of the barn but along came J. Scott Campbell, owner of the Maine Mountain Post & Beam in Fryeburg, to purchase the building from the family. Along the way, he connected with a local resident looking to build a new residence. Over the years, I have seen some of Scott's work around the area. He just built a beautiful barn in my neighborhood but this is a special project and it brings new life to a structure that for a time was going to be torn down. Here are a few pictures of the frame before it was dismantled and a few pictures of it resurrected at its new location. In some of the pictures, you can see the simple system that is used to mark each piece.
Can't wait until the transformation of the old Fox Barn is complete. Until then, here are some photos.
