Having been involved in Livestock Housing my entire career, I purchased a great coffee table book for you to consider especially if you are intrigued by historic livestock structures. CSBE/SCGAB member, Hugh Fraser, has self-published 'Swing Beam Barns of Niagara: Stories of 50 barns built in Ontario 1819-1884'. That’s pre-Confederation!!! It is a coffee table book of 272 pages and over 650 photos and schematics. Hugh has carefully and intentionally researched each barn including all the historical aspects of the barn and found records of the owners/folks living in the surrounding area which he has woven into delightful stories. Readers will find themselves engaged in  history as the stories unfold around them. Find out which barn owner played in the first recorded ice hockey game in 1839 near Niagara Falls, another original owner helps take the first photo of the Falls in 1840. The original owners witnessed the extinction of animals, the end of slavery, and so much more.   

The book is $65 until Christmas and only available through Hugh. He's sold 650 since launching one year ago. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CSBE/SCGAB treasurer, Frank Kains, stated in the book's foreword  “This book captures them (the barns) before they are gone. It may leave you with a nostalgic tear in your eye as you walk in the shoes of the pioneers who helped build these grand structures. It did me”.

“I was fascinated by the skills and community involvement in erecting these amazing  structures”.  

Happy Reading, John Feddes, Society Manager

Hugh Fraser