Town of Ira historian Dorothy Southard has compiled a historical look at the barns in her county. This is the fourth in a series on buildings that have become an iconic sight throughout this rural town.

All of the seven sets of barns on the farms formerly owned by Floyd Southard are gone now. Mike Bartoszewski owns the main farm now. Bartoszewski has leveled off the site of the dairy barn complex so that he could build a new Kentucky-style horse stable to house about six horses. He has also enlarged the pond that is located to the southwest of the new barn.

The old barn complex had deteriorated through neglect over the years. On one foggy Sunday morning in the spring of 2004, the portion of the barn left standing was destroyed by the Ira Fire Department with a controlled burn. Shortly after Bartoszewski purchased the property, a machine shop/garage was constructed northeast of his home. The combination of the shop, large home and the private horse barn makes a very nice looking place.

When Jim Van Wie visited the history room in mid-January this year, I told him about the request for an article about the barns in the town of Ira. He then told about the small barn on his property at Ira Station. This barn housed oxen in the basement or ground level, which faces east, in the days gone by. The main floor (three-car sized) held machinery and wagons in the old days. The upper floor was where loose hay was stored. There was a hay chute made of 14-inch-wide boards that went from the second floor to the basement for ease in getting the hay to the oxen. When Van Wie, his brother and neighborhood boys played basketball in the cleared-out second floor, they covered the hay chute opening. If they did not, the ball would go to the ground level in a hurry.

This small barn is still standing today; how much longer, is Mother Nature's call.

After World War II, machinery sheds were built pole barn-style with the open side facing south or east. Sheet metal roofing and siding was used as construction materials and occasionally a repair shop was in one end of the shed. Old tobacco sheds were converted into machinery storage sheds, repair shops or corncribs after the farmers stopped growing tobacco.

Quite a few Mennonite farm families have moved north into Cayuga County from Pennsylvania during the late 20th century. The town of Ira has two families on North Road.

One of the farms they purchased had farm buildings that needed lots of work done on them. Because of a barn fire that destroyed the dairy barn, a single-story barn was constructed across the road to house the dairy cattle. The new buildings use metal for the siding and roof. This farmer has constructed storage and shop buildings since owning the farm.

Mr. Horning is an enterprising farmer. The other farm is like it was when the Martin family purchased it from Mr. and Mrs. Si Hilton. They have added a heifer shed and a manure lagoon near the main dairy barn.

Thanks needs to be given to these families for preserving the two farms and the buildings.

Next week, how local barns were affected by Route 370 reconstruction.

Dorothy Southard is the town of Ira historian.