J. C. Stribling Barn

J. C. Stribling Barn is a historic brick bank barn located at 220 Isaqueena Trail near Clemson, South Carolina. It is also known as the Sleepy Hollow Barn and the Stribling-Boone Barn. Unlike a commercial consumer brand, the name identifies a particular historic structure associated with the Sleepy Hollow farm and the Stribling family. The barn is recognized for its unusual brick construction, substantial scale, and surviving evidence of late-nineteenth-century agricultural practices in the South Carolina Upstate. The building was constructed approximately between 1890 and 1900, after a fire destroyed the original barn and other farm outbuildings at Sleepy Hollow around 1890. The farm house, originally built in 1837 to replace an earlier log cabin, was repaired after the fire. Virginia Eliza Hunter Stribling acquired Sleepy Hollow in 1887, and the Stribling family remained associated with the property until 1930. The barn formed part of a progressive agricultural operation linked to Jesse Cornelius Stribling, a farmer who helped introduce Jersey cattle to South Carolina in 1873 and also promoted Percheron horses in the state. Architecturally, the barn is a three-story bank barn measuring approximately 70 feet long and 50 feet wide. It rests on a stone foundation and was built with handmade native bricks that were fired in a kiln on the plantation. The bricks were laid with mud mortar in a six-to-one common bond. Its design includes a jerkin-head, V-crimp metal roof supported by square wooden piers and timber trusses, together with a central clerestory ridge vent that supplied light and ventilation. A central feature above the ridge vent may originally have supported a cupola. The west elevation contains the principal entrance at the second level. Its arched opening is framed by brick pilasters and includes a wooden keystone and a lozenge-shaped vent. Sliding lattice doors on metal tracks appear on the north and south elevations at the first and second levels. Additional lozenge-shaped vents and fourteen six-light wooden sash windows helped ventilate and illuminate the structure. The internal arrangement reflected the farm's livestock program. The first level accommodated approximately fifty Jersey cows, the second level housed horses, and the third level was used for storage. Four trap doors on the horse level served as hay chutes to the cattle below. Platforms at both ends of the upper level were used for drying seeds. The use of brick and the bank-barn form are notable in South Carolina, where barns of this type and material are less common than in New England or the Midwest. Later adaptations made the barn suitable for recreational and event use. Parts of the central third-level floor and the drying platforms were removed, overhead lighting was installed, a wooden floor was added to the second level, and concrete was placed over the dirt floor near the entrance. A concrete retaining wall was also added along the rear foundation. Sleepy Hollow now operates as a bed-and-breakfast property, with its grounds rented for weddings and other events. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 2001.

The history of J. C. Stribling Barn is inseparable from Sleepy Hollow, a farm situated between Clemson and Pendleton in South Carolina. The farm house was first built in 1837 to replace a log cabin. Virginia Eliza Hunter acquired Sleepy Hollow in 1887, after which the Stribling family used the property as a working agricultural estate. The family remained there until 1930. Jesse Cornelius Stribling, who lived from 1844 to 1927, was a prominent figure in the farm's history. He served during the American Civil War as a private with the 1st South Carolina Rifles, also known as Orr's Rifles, and the Rutledge Mounted Riflemen. During Reconstruction he was associated with the Red Shirts, a paramilitary organization that sought to restore white Southern control of government. This aspect of his biography forms part of the historical context surrounding the property's namesake, although the barn's architectural and agricultural significance is the principal basis for its preservation. Stribling was also described as a progressive farmer. In 1873, he and W. D. Warren of nearby Ashtabula helped bring Jersey cattle into South Carolina. Stribling also introduced Percheron horses to the state. These agricultural interests are reflected in the barn's original internal organization: Jersey cows occupied the first level, horses were kept on the second level, and the upper level was used for storage and seed drying. Stribling served as president of the Pendleton Farmers' Society from 1908 until his death in 1927. Around 1890, a fire destroyed the original barn and other outbuildings and damaged the house. The house was repaired, and the present brick barn was built sometime between approximately 1890 and 1900. Its construction used handmade bricks produced in a kiln on the plantation and mud mortar. The resulting three-story bank barn was unusually substantial for the region and is notable because brick agricultural buildings of this type are relatively uncommon in the southeastern United States. The structure's design combines practical farming requirements with distinctive architectural detailing. A stone foundation supports the bank-barn form, while a metal jerkin-head roof, timber framing, ventilation openings, a clerestory ridge vent, arched entrances, sliding lattice doors, and multi-light sash windows provide the building's characteristic appearance. The upper hay chutes connected the horse level with the cattle level, while drying platforms on the third floor supported seed processing and storage. In the modern period, the barn was adapted for recreational use. Portions of the upper interior were removed, lighting was installed, a new wooden floor was laid on the second level, and concrete improvements were made around the entrance and rear foundation. Sleepy Hollow later became a bed-and-breakfast, and the grounds were made available for weddings and other events. The barn's National Register listing on October 22, 2001, recognized its architectural and historical importance and helped establish it as a documented local heritage resource.

• 2001

  National Register listing

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  J. C. Stribling Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 2001.

• 1930

  Stribling family association with Sleepy Hollow ends

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  The Stribling family lived at Sleepy Hollow until approximately 1930.

• 1895

  Present brick barn constructed

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  The current three-story brick bank barn was built during the approximate period from 1890 to 1900; the exact construction year is not established.

• 1890

  Fire destroys the original barn and outbuildings

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  A fire destroyed the original barn and other outbuildings and damaged the farm house, leading to the construction of the present barn.

• 1887

  Sleepy Hollow acquired by Virginia Stribling

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  Virginia Eliza Hunter acquired the farm, which remained associated with the Stribling family until 1930.

• 1873

  Jersey cattle introduced to South Carolina

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  Jesse Cornelius Stribling and W. D. Warren helped bring Jersey cattle into South Carolina, an agricultural development reflected in the barn's livestock layout.

• 1837

  Sleepy Hollow farmhouse constructed

  [1]J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org

  The original farm house was built to replace an earlier log cabin, establishing the property later associated with the Stribling family and barn.

A preserved agricultural landmark valued for its distinctive brick bank-barn architecture, association with the Stribling family and Sleepy Hollow farm, and continuing role in local heritage and event use.

• Historic agricultural building

  J. C. Stribling Barn

  A three-story brick bank barn built approximately between 1890 and 1900 at the Sleepy Hollow farm near Clemson, South Carolina. The building measures about 70 by 50 feet and includes a stone foundation, handmade plantation-fired bricks, a jerkin-head metal roof, timber trusses, a clerestory ridge vent, arched access, sliding lattice doors, and multi-light windows. Its original agricultural functions included housing Jersey cattle, keeping horses, storing hay and other materials, and drying seeds. Later modifications enabled recreational and event use.

1. 1J. C. Stribling Barnen.wikipedia.org