Original barn beam with notches for fittings
Martz sprays off barn beams
When Michael Martz grew up in Ohio, he spent a lot of time playing in an old barn on the family farm. He is now looking to preserve the history by using beams from 150-year old barn in the house he is now building in Pensacola.
Martz, 55, stopped by the car wash in Century this week to spray off the old beams so they would be dry by time he got to his new homesite in the Nature Trail neighborhood in Pensacola.
Martz said his parents bought the farm in 1964 and the barn was 100 years old at time.
"I spent a lot of time playing in the barn," Martz said.
Martz later moved to Pensacola and when he began making plans for his new house wanted to incorporate some of the wood from the old barn into his new house.
He said the beams were hand carved with axes and no nails were used. He also noted some of the beams still have bark on the sides.
He said the barn is now in ruins, but he was able to salvage several of the beams, load them on a trailer and drive back to Pensacola.
"Some of the beams were too rotten," he said. "But I was able to find several that were still in good shape."
He said he plans to use the larger beams in his living room and hasn't figured out yet what he will do with the smaller beams.
"I'll find somewhere to use them inside the house," he said.;'
