Barn tour features theJubilee

The Jubilee barn in the Genoa foothills hasn't changed much since it was built around the turn of the century, except for its name.

The barn is one of 10 in Carson Valley that will be featured in the Douglas County Historical Society's historic barn tour and barbecue on May 5.

The 100-foot by 60-foot barn was built by Peter Van Sickle around 1900. The ranch was owned by Van Sickle and his son Oscar Van Sickle from 1857-1927, Thomas Summers from 1927-1951 and since 1951, by Milton Edward Bacon, known as Ted.

"I came here to see my neighbor, Mr. (William) Sturgis, Christmas 1950, because we grew up together," said Bacon, who lived in Southern California before he went to college at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Sturgis went to college with Bacon, but graduated a year earlier.

"He's been a life-long friend," said Bacon of Sturgis.

Escrow went through in February 1951, but Bacon was not due to graduate until June. In June 1951, he took residence of his ranch and replaced the exterior siding and roof on the barn.

"It was my first job, more or less," he said, laughing.

In late 1953, Bacon married Mary Parker Bacon, who goes by the nickname, "Lee." Sturgis was their best man. The Bacons run the 326-acre ranch to this day, raising cattle and growing hay.

"I'm very proud of the place. We have enjoyed it for many years," said Bacon.

The barn is empty now except for a few artifacts. The 13,000-square-foot area for hay storage is not practical for storing bales, according to Bacon.

"The barn was not built to hold the tonnage of baled hay," said Bacon.

The lower level features dairy stalls that were used prior to Bacon taking over ownership.

"Horses were kept here, and bred here and fed here for all the riders on the Pony Express. The Pony Express went up Old Kingsbury Grade," said Bacon.

"Mainly it was a dairy. The hay in the barn was reaped. It was loose hay. It was packed in the barn loosely. It was all stacked by hand."

The Jubilee barn was built in the same style as the neighboring Van Sickle barn, both Pennsylvania bank barns, constructed using the peg-and-groove technique and built into the side of a hill, thus allowing two levels to be entered from ground level. The cattle would enter the bottom level and a door in the floor from the upper level was opened to drop hay down to them.

The biggest difference between the Jubilee and Van Sickle barns is that the Jubilee barn has no windows. Doors are located on opposite sides of the barn. Bacon said he leaves these doors open for a throughway, for light and to prevent damage from the winds.

"If it's not absolutely sealed, there's a terrible suction if you have winds," said Bacon.

When Bacon purchased the ranch he decided to change the name from the Summers Ranch to the Jubilee.

"I'd been to Europe in summer 1950," said Bacon. "I went to England. They were having a jubilee there to celebrate the crowning of the queen."

Bacon said at the time he bought the ranch, Summers kept hogs and he didn't think "Bacon Ranch" would be appropriate.

"The name Jubilee just really stuck," he said. "I thought it was a happy name."

Details:

The Douglas County Historical Society's historic barn tour and barbecue will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 5. Tickets are available at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 1477 Highway 395, in Gardnerville and at the Tahoe Ridge Winery, 2285 Main St. in Genoa. For more information call 782-2555. Tickets are $40 per person. All proceeds benefit the Douglas County Historical Society.

Following the barn tour there will be a barbecue lunch provided by the Douglas County Farm Bureau and live musical entertainment at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa. Tickets also include admission to the Genoa Court House Museum in Genoa and the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.

The barn tour and barbecue will give ticket holders an opportunity to step back in time by visiting these historic barns, a part of Carson Valley's historic past.

Ticket holders will meet the owners, family members or others who will conduct the tour of each barn. There will be lots of personal stories and anecdotes about the families and each barn.

There will be a choice of two tours, the Stetson or the Maverick. The Stetson tour includes the Holden, Scossa, Sozzi, Van Sickle and Trimmer barns. The Maverick tour includes the Anderson, Jacobs, Henningsen, Jubilee and Trimmer barns.