Fenimore Farm Stone Barn Featured in New Book

By BILL BELLEN
COOPERSTOWN

On August 15, Acclaim Press published the latest book in its repertoire, “Stone Barns of America: Historic Icons East of the Mississippi.”

Written by Dr. Robert Kroeger, this text is the first of a two-volume series exploring the expansive history behind notable stone barns across the United States. Featuring barns and historical accounts from more than 20 states, “Stone Barns of America” is a passion project of epic proportions.

As described in the book’s introduction, Kroeger first took interest in the history of barns in 2012 following what he described as a “supernatural message” from a barn in Ohio he refers to as “Granville Gray.” Kroeger spent an extensive period learning the craft of impasto oil painting, an art form seen in many illustrations throughout his book. “Stone Barns of America” follows in the footsteps of two previous works by Kroeger focusing on the pioneer rural farm life of America: “Historic Barns of Ohio” and “Round Barns of America.”

During the research process for the latest chapter in Kroeger’s barn-based odyssey, he happened upon a local site of historical significance. One of two standing stone barns in New York State—and dubbed “A Treasure in Cooperstown” by Kroeger himself—the stone barn that stands as the entrance to Fenimore Farm and Country Village is proudly featured in a section on the history of its importance to Otsego County.

“It’s one of two stone barns in New York and it has a marvelous story behind it,” Kroeger wrote in a recent e-mail. “My dental school roomie and I visited it in 2024. Masterful stonemasonry. Only sad part is that the stonemasons have been forgotten—the typical case in stone barns, but not always.”

In the book, Kroeger goes on to detail the life of William Cooper, founder of “The Freeman’s Journal,” and his son, James Fenimore Cooper, as well as the latter’s wife’s little-known role in inspiring his writing career. William originally purchased the site where the barn now stands and built the mansion, then known as Otsego Hall, across the street.

The book continues to outline the long history of notable owners of the property, from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Nelson to various members of the Clark family lineage. Around 1916, Edward Severin Clark, named after his grandfather, commissioned architect Frank Whiting to design and construct the stone barn—which would be aptly nicknamed the “Cow Palace”—for his cattle. Ownership then passed to Stephen C. Clark, who went on to invite the New York State Historical Association to move into the mansion and donated the Fenimore Farm itself as “an outdoor showcase of rural life, which was developed around the stone barns in the early 1940s.”

“It’s expensive to restore an old barn, most of which have outgrown their usefulness. If someone can justify the cost by giving the barn a new purpose, that’s terrific. [The Fenimore] barn and the one on the book’s cover, in Michigan, are two great examples. The Michigan owner restored that gigantic stone barn to the tune of $18 million,” Kroeger wrote.

This brief summary barely scratches the surface of the vast history of the Fenimore Farm barn, let alone the many other intriguing sites spanning the rest of New York and the other 19 states included in this book. Kroeger expressed his admiration for the condition and the continued role of the Fenimore barn in educating people of all ages on the importance of this nation’s vast rural history.

Those interested in furthering their knowledge on the Fenimore Farm and its barn’s role in Otsego County history, or just rural American history at large, can purchase a copy of the book directly through Acclaim Press, or via online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.