The Adventures Of An American Corn Crib

By Susan Coney

Sandy Hook residents Karen and Peter Alpi simply wanted to extend their kitchen and add additional space to the laundry room of their home on Riverside Road. One obstacle stood in the way of achieving their goal of adding a dream kitchen to their 18th Century home, however: an ancient corn crib.

Because the home holds a significant historical past as the former residence of American chronicler and humorist James Thurber, who lived in the house during the 1930s with his first wife, Althea, the Alpis carefully contemplated the decision to move or tear down the existing corn crib.

Since Mr Alpi moved into the Thurber home approximately seven years ago, he has taken an interest in learning and preserving the history of the beautiful old colonial. He reflected that the home and grounds have historical interest. For example, he related that Mr Thurber had used the attic for his study and drew several sophisticated cartoons on the walls there.

When Thurber divorced his first wife and moved from the home, she wallpapered over his drawings only to have them rediscovered in the 1970s when new owners occupying the house did some remodeling. The drawings have since been professionally removed by curators from Ohio State University, Thurber’s alma mater, and are to this day displayed in a museum and literary art center in his home state of Ohio.

Mr Alpi also revealed letters written by Thurber to friends when he lived in the Riverside home; telling of the tranquil setting and the passion he held for setting up his croquet course throughout and around the outbuildings of the property. For this very reason Mr Alpi felt reluctant to simply tear down the old corn crib.

The corn crib, which was in near perfect condition, reflected the superior quality of the craftsmanship of New Englanders during the 19th Century. The first mention of a corn crib is recorded in a farmers almanac dating back to the year 1701. Corn cribs were rarely built on New England farms until the middle of the 19th Century, when growing “Indian” corn became popular. Storing the corn on the cob in a well-ventilated corn crib allowed the kernels to dry without spoiling. The cobs were prized for use as oven ash that was used in smoking meats, as well as for quick kindling and numerous other purposes, making the need for corn cribs essential to the cultivators of the time.

The arrangement of the Alpis’ home and the outbuildings on their comfortable, picturesque countryside property reflect the design very typical of the New England farms built during that time period. The home has a long, narrow kitchen, which extends off the back of the house. Immediately next to the kitchen sat a corn crib with a large barn situated almost within arm’s reach of the corn crib. This convenient arrangement made life easier for the gentlemen farmers of the day and many ended up connecting the outbuildings to the main farmhouse to accommodate various wintertime ventures.

Mr Alpi contacted several friends and acquaintances who were knowledgeable about old structures to see if they would be interested in acquiring the corn crib free of charge and simply pay the cost of moving it. One person interested in taking Mr Alpi up on his offer hired a contractor to move the structure but upon arrival at the site the contractor begged off saying he was not sure it could be moved intact. In addition, the cost of moving the corn crib made it prohibitive to that potential taker.

 On August 11, resigned to the fact that the corn crib could not be saved. the Alpis proceeded with their plans for the remodeling of their home and gave their contractor Jim Minor the go-ahead to tear down the structure. Mr Minor enlisted LRM Landscape Contractors to assist with the site’s excavation. When the time came to actually demolish the quaint structure, Mr Alpi along with Jim Minor and LRM subcontractors Rich Liska, and Rob and Lee Manna lamented that it was such a shame to destroy the outbuilding.

Mr Minor, who does all phases of construction said, “The corn crib is probably at least 150 years old. It is about 22 by 8 feet in size and is all wood, with sturdy beams that display axe marks on them. The roof was intact and in good condition. We put our heads together and brainstormed the possibility of relocating the corn crib to a back portion of the property.”

Mr Alpi told the contractors to attempt to move the structure but not to worry if it fell apart. Mr Minor said, “That took the pressure off and then it was sort of a challenge to move the building intact. We improvised a forklift by putting extensions on the tractor we were using for the excavation work. We slipped the forklift part under the corn crib and carefully rotated it to squeeze it between an enormous tree, the barn, and the house. Space was an issue. Once we cleared the house we slowly moved it approximately 250 feet, up a slight incline to the back of the property and repositioned it onto foundation beams. The entire process, from rigging the tractor to moving the corn crib took the four of us one day.”

Mr Minor went on to say that it was a balancing act to guide it and keep it from falling off the make shift forklift. “All involved felt a great sense of accomplishment that the move was so successful. It’s a piece of history for the town,” Mr Minor said.

Mr Alpi could not have been more pleased with the outcome and credited the contractors for a superb job in saving the corn crib, which now stands atop a slight hill and seems quite at home looking down on the beautiful gardens of the property.