Though much of Tredyffrin and Easttown Townships is developed, many barns reflecting our agricultural past survive, and are now used as residences, garages, and yes, barns! Throughout Chester County, we are blessed with some of the most beautiful and structurally efficient barns in the nation. Many are still in use for their intended purpose.

But do you know what kind of barn you may pass while driving our suburban or country roads? Do you know the age? Or why they are built the way they are – often into the side of a hill? Robert Wise, Architectural Historian, has been documenting barns for over 30 years. He’ll help you learn about our barns, why they are built the way they are, including the layout, material and location, and the specific type you may be looking at. He’ll help you identify Pennsylvania Bank Barns, Double Deckers, Half Barns, English Lake District Barns, and more. See how barns changed from Colonial times to the present, and learn the names as well as the parts of a barn.

Bob’s presentation takes you on a whirlwind trip throughout our area with pictures and diagrams of scores of barns, in a fun and relaxing delivery designed to help you Know Your Barns!.

Robert J. Wise, Jr., Principal Senior Architectural Historian at Richard Grubb & Associates (RGA), has been professionally active in historic preservation for over 30 years. He has a MS in Historic Preservation from University of Pennsylvania, a MBA from Penn State, and a BA in History from Dickinson College. Mr. Wise provides project management and directs cultural resource investigations for RGA. He is based in Chester County, and the majority of his work has been in southeast Pennsylvania. Previously Mr. Wise operated Wise Preservation Planning, LLC and was senior planner at the Brandywine Conservancy's Environmental Management Center.

Mr. Wise has served on many boards and is current Chair of the West Vincent Township Historical Commission and Board Member of the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust, and the Stuart Tank Memorial Association in Berwick, PA, and past President of the Chester County Historic Preservation Network.