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BUILDING FORM ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ❑ see continuation sheet Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. The Schumacher Barn has been described as an "elegant example"and"important document"of 19th-century post-and beam- construction, significant as one of the few surviving examples in Lexington of a post-and-beam barn and because of the elaborate strut work that supports the roof and the traditional division of interior space. In addition,the barn is still in its original relationship to the Schumacher farmhouse at 148 Wood St. (MHC#693)and other farm buildings even though it is no longer part of that property. The barn is rectangular, 1'/z stories,three-by-four bays, and front-gabled. It had transom lights over the main door, a hay door, and a full cellar. On the interior,the timbers have circular saw marks,are pinned with machine-turned dowels with hand carved points, and the studs are toenailed with machine cut nails. There is a cow tie-up on the southern,and warmer, side of the barn and a hay loft in the story above. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ❑ see continuation sheet Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. The Schumacher Barn was built as part of the farm at 148 Wood St. (MHC#693)but is now on a separate lot owned by the owner of the 170 Wood St. (MHC #695)property. Although many architectural features of the barn suggest a mid-19th century construction date(see above), Lexington assessors' records indicate that the barn was built in 1889 when the farm was owned by Joseph Ballard. There was no barn at all before that date on the property,which Ballard had acquired in 1879 after the person who built the farmhouse in 1876 had defaulted on a mortgage. Lexington assessors' records also show that the value of the barn quadrupled between 1899 and 1900 when the farm was owned by Joseph's son Ernest K. Ballard, suggesting that the barn was enlarged or improved in 1899. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES ❑ see continuation sheet Grady, Anne A. "The Schumacher Barn: Architectural and Historical Significance." March 1988. On file with Lexington Historical Commission, Lexington, MA. Lexington Valuation Lists. 1879-1900. Middlesex Registry of Deeds. Deeds. Cambridge, MA. 1502: 332, 335; 1507: 326; 2626: 130. ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.