Threshing Barn

The threshing barn played an important role in the Smith family’s survival and showcases what the work on the Smith farm would have been like amid Joseph Smith Jr.’s revelations.

In the late 1820s, a standard threshing barn was divided into three bays: the haymow, the granary, and the threshing floor. The haymow was where the family would have stored the hay, the granary would have been where the grains were stored, and the threshing floor would have been where the men threshed, or loosened, the grain from the stalks during the winter months. During inclement weather, the barn provided a dry place to store the harvested grains and hay for their animals. Harnesses and tools were also stored in the barn. For convenient access to the home and fields, the Smiths built the barn near their property’s center.

Although the Smiths’ barn no longer exists, archaeological excavations revealed its location. During the restoration of the Smith farm, a historic barn of the same period and style was renovated and relocated to the Smith Farm from the property of John Young, Brigham Young’s father, in Mendon, New York.

What to Expect

The Threshing Barn is part of the guided tour given by missionaries of the homes on the Smith Family Farm. You will visit it after visiting Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Home and the Smith Farm Home.

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