A Mt. Pleasant barn in use for more than a century is in the way of future Foxconn development and must go. But it’s owner vows it won’t be torn down, so he’s taking it with him.
The Braun family’s Pine Hill Farm has been around for more than a century, and the red barn on the property dates back to the 1850’s according to the owner Dan Braun.
It will be a big undertaking.
“The alternative is it being pushed overthrown in a pile and I don’t want that,” said Braun.
The third generation farmer has enlisted the help of a group that can gently dismantle the fragile structure.
“Once they take the sheet metal off, whatever barn boards and roof is left, they'll take those boards off first and then they’ll start knocking the wood pegs out and taking the big timbers down… every timber will be numbered where it goes and there will be a big map on how it’s taken down then just reverse that process and put it back up,” said Braun.
Braun estimates it will take a half dozen semi loads of timber to get the barn to his new farm in Northcentral Wisconsin where he plans to farm.
“I think I’m young enough that I can go for a few more years. Then we’ll go from there, maybe my son will take over,” said Braun.
He knows Mt. Pleasant and Racine County will be changing, ushering in the future.
“It's going to change it, it’s not going to have the romantic country life anymore, we’re moving on,” said Braun.
He expects the project to take a few weeks over the summer.
