This barn, a long-time familiar landmark in this area, was
originally part of a dairy farm that included land on which now
sits a large mall, numerous restaurants and large retail stores,
several hotels, and many other enterprises. The farm was sold in
several parcels to make room for the expanding city, but
thankfully, the historic barn has been preserved.
The current barn is the second that was built for the dairy
farm, which honestly proclaimed "Today's Milk Today", and invited
visitors and local grade school classes to "See Cows Milked in
Parlor." The first barn was built in 1899, but was destroyed by
fire in 1935, when the current barn was built to replace it. The
current barn used progressive building techniques to create a
spacious interior, in which my mother and her siblings, cousins,
and friends swung by ropes from and into stacks of hay bales. In my
early childhood days, I remember visiting this barn for family
reunions and other various family gatherings.
But the barn is not currently where it used to be. In 1995, the
plot of land on which the barn then sat was sold. The Yoder family
wanted to preserve the local treasure of this structure, and the
heritage it represented, so the small area of land on which the
barn is currently positioned was donated to the Yoder Preservation
Trust, an organization created to preserve the legacy of the barn.
The barn was lifted and moved about a quarter of a mile south to
it's current home, on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Oyster
Point Road. There, it proudly served as a venue for a wide variety
of events, including local Mennonite heritage theater, "battle of
the bands" rock events, choral events and sing-alongs, bluegrass
concerts, comedy troupes, and many others.
In its most recent chapter of life, the Yoder Barn Theater was
donated to Christopher Newport University, where it is now part of
the theater and performing arts department.
Below are other various facts about and some links to additional
information regarding this unique and priceless part of local
history:
Please take some time to look around the facility as you seek
this cache. I hope you enjoy the bit of history surrounding this
unique and priceless local treasure!
This cache exists by permission
granted by the House Manager of Yoder Barn, from the Department
Events & Scheduling (as of April 2011).
This permission comes with a few polite reminders from the
granting authority:
- Do NOT come looking for this geocache after dark. At
the request of university authorities, please only seek this cache
during daylight hours!
- Do NOT attempt to access the barn or search the barn area. The
cache is within several feet of the exact coordinates.
- DO be forthright with anyone who may see you caching and ask
questions. It looks a little sketchy if there are people snooping
around in the specific area where the cache is located. If people
are inquisitive, tell them that you are on a sort of treasure
hunt.
- DO bring your family, friends, or significant other. Again, it
looks like a little sketchy if an individual (particularly a guy!)
appears to be "hiding out" in the area where the cache is
located.
If geocaching activity begins interfering with the operations of
the barn, the cache is likely to be removed. If the parking
lot is full, please seek the cache at another time!
Congrats to zazth on the FTF!