To the editor:
I greatly enjoyed the article “Update on the Old Stone Barn Project” by Amelia Tracy. I know how important the stone barn seems to most people in Peterborough and am glad that it’s being preserved. Those who have been here as long as I have will remember how the barn was once viewed: a horror story. Rumor had it that one night when the cows were inside, kept in place by their stanchions, the floor gave way and the cows fell through and were hung. Another rumor had it that a human corpse was inside, at least for a while. People were rather afraid of it; it was viewed with suspicion–a place to avoid.
In the 1930s my best friend, Betty, lived on the farm next to us, and now and then we’d consider visiting the barn, by then no longer occupied, because, like most of the Peterborough population, we were morbidly curious about it. It was only about three miles away so one day we started to walk there but the nearer we got, the more strongly we felt that it was dangerous, so we turned around and ran home.
I can’t forget the old days—I don’t think I’d want to live in the Old Stone Barn–but I do appreciate that it’s now it’s seen as a local treasure and may soon be the site of some very responsible farming. Times change, and rightly so.
Liz Thomas
Peterborough