09/10/2026
Hidden in plain sight on The Street in Old Deerfield is one of the Connecticut River Valley’s rarer types of to***co barns. Unlike the long, narrow barns (often called "sheds" in the valley) that once dominated the landscape, the Moors To***co Barn is shorter and more rectangular, with three interior bays and a single large doorway in each gable end. It still retains many of its original tier poles for hanging to***co, alternating hinged-plank siding for ventilation, and distinctive hopper-style skirt flaps near the ground, which are all classic features of 19th-century to***co-curing architecture.
Tax records and other evidence point to a possible construction date around 1871, during the post-Civil War to***co boom. Later concrete piers and repairs show how the building was likely repaired and adapted over time. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, Deerfield farmers jumped into the to***co boom sweeping the Connecticut River Valley. The owner of the Moors House property at that time, Arthur Ball, was among those listed in 1868 as growing to***co for profit (as was his father-in-law, William Sheldon). Was our surviving Moors To***co Barn barn an early artifact of that agricultural wave?
Today, the Moors To***co Barn needs careful stabilization–it has some missing plank siding, a failing north sill, and damage to its slate roof. Historic Deerfield is now working to protect this important piece of our agricultural and architectural heritage, so its stories can continue to be told. We are planning targeted repairs—stabilizing framing, replacing siding in-kind, and protecting this rare survivor of Deerfield’s agricultural past. Visitors to Historic Deerfield can view the Moors To***co Barn which now houses sheep!) from a distance by walking the nearby Channing Blake Footpath during the museum’s open hours.
