Good Bones: Historic Barn Becomes Part Of On Point Self Storage

In the heart of southern Maine lies the picturesque town of Gorham. Ten miles west of Portland, Maine’s largest city, it is everything one would expect of the region, complete with natural beauty and blanketed in cozy New England charm. Making the town even more unique is its small, unincorporated villages and hamlets, each with distinct historical identities. A few years ago, in one such hamlet, visitors and locals could set their sights on Mosher Barn, a fixture in the community since 1820. But today, you won’t find it at 551 Main Street, where it resided for over two centuries. Where’d it go? It’s a story almost as rich as the barn’s own history. 

History At Mosher Barn 

By 2021, time had taken its toll on Mosher Barn and its body was tired. It claimed historical value, but the land it occupied was even more valuable for developers. However, tearing down the barn and its good bones was not sitting well with anyone. And so began a half-million-dollar plan to make room for progress while honoring the past by dismantling the barn and reassembling it elsewhere. 

You may wonder, “What’s the big deal about a barn?” For the residents of Gorham, this was not just any barn. It was built by Captain Daniel Mosher, a grandson of Daniel and Jane Mosher, two of the original settlers of Gorham who arrived in 1738 and were instrumental in developing the community. It’s believed that the barn was erected by Captain Mosher around 1820. “Marriage marks, which are Roman numeral reference points builders scribe on timbers, helped us determine the age of the barn,” says Scott Campbell with the Maine Mountain Post & Beam company in Fryeburg, Maine, who helped handle the dismantling, repairs, and reassembly of the barn. “That made this an important project for Gorham.” 

Abbot Mosher, who has spoken many times about his family’s long history in the area, lamented that the barn was “a dying breed,” the last of four original big barns built in town by the early Moshers. With a classic gable entryway and built with hemlock and pine and a rafter roof system supported by both king and queen posts, the barn was a symbol of simpler times. He was not ready to see it go. 

Neither was Walter Stinson (founder of the New England engineering firm Sebago Technics) when he and his son Nick Stinson purchased the land with the intent to build a self-storage facility. They understood the importance of the Mosher Barn, and if it was a dying breed, they did not want to be the ones to render it extinct. 

“Rather than have history demolished, and knowing that the Shaws [brothers Jon and Dan Shaw, who operate a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving farmland] wanted to build barns at their Cherry Hill Farm, I let them have it. It was just a matter of getting it there,” Stinson told MSM. 

Moving Out 

Relocating the 42-by-80 barn was no easy feat. The project began in February 2021, and with the aid of a crane, the frame was disassembled section by section, piece by piece.

After it was deconstructed, 300-plus framing pieces were trucked to Campbell’s shop in November of that same year. Two 80-foot wall plates running the length of the barn were too long for easy transport and had to be hauled with police escort down Main Street to Cherry Hill, the Mosher Barn’s new resting place, to await reconstruction. 

Once Campbell had his hands on various pieces of the barn at his Fryeburg shop, he began power washing to determine what could be restored and what needed to be replaced. Ultimately, multiple beams and nine of the 64 rafters, each four-by-eight inches thick and 24.5 feet long, had to be replaced. The new rafters each weighed 320 pounds, and upright replacement posts clocked in at a hefty 600 pounds. Campbell also replaced six of nine original king posts that were designed to support the roof, choosing a mix of old-fashioned tools, like the ones builders used 200 years ago, and modern-day gear to cut away decay more quickly from the beams he repaired. 

“I finish everything by hand,” says Campbell. His efforts have definitely paid off handsomely in the final product, which now is beautifully resting upon Cherry Hill Farm on Cherry Hill Road off Route 25, less than 10 minutes from its original birth site. 

When Stinson drives Cherry Hill Road, he still slows to look at the barn. “I’m so happy it stayed in the neighborhood,” he says. “It’s a real showpiece.” 

Moving In 

With Mosher Barn successfully relocated to the joy of residents and city officials, On Point Self Storage was ready to move in. However, just because the barn was gone, Stinson didn’t want the facility design to clash with the charm of timeless Gorham. “I wanted the facility to have a ‘farm theme,’ including cupolas on the roof, to keep with the community’s rich agricultural history,” says Stinson. “There’s even several of the original barn boards on the south side of the On Point Self Storage office.” 

To get the job done right, the Stinsons enlisted locals, including architect Mike Hays, AIA, with Grant Hays Associate in Falmouth, site engineer Owens McCullough, PE, with Sebago Technics in South Portland, and Seacoast Security out of Freeport. He also reached out to his fellow Army veteran Bill Barnhill, a seasoned self-storage professional and owner of Omega Properties. “Bill was able to guide us through the feasibility analysis and preliminary project planning,” says Stinson. “And it was great to partner up with my Army buddy after all these years!” 

Working together, the team was able to come up with a design that was functional and farm-esque. Today, On Point Self Storage comprises eight cold buildings containing 43,700 rentable square feet, one building with 5,500 rentable square feet of heated storage, and an office of about 650 square feet. It is open 24/7, and it’s gated, fenced, lighted, and monitored with security cameras. 

Stinson says response has been positive; plus, the project is so well-known that the business hasn’t had to drop much money into its marketing budget. “We have an online presence, of course, and are proud to promote our business as a local, family-owned facility. We will sometimes complement online and social media efforts by running print ads in local papers. It’s nice to have that relationship and provide them business, too.” 

One way On Point Self Storage is making a difference in the community is by allowing several youth organizations to store their equipment at a reduced cost. As a former Army veteran, Stinson is also proud to support military veterans with a storage discount. However, he says the other outreach they do is simply about being a good steward of the community. “When a young family here was just starting out and experienced a devastating fire that destroyed their home, we gave them storage space at no cost—no bills until they were back on their feet. That’s not something you plan for in a marketing budget; that’s something you do because it’s right, and community counts, especially here in Gorham.” 

Moving Forward 

Nick Stinson, who worked closely with his father on the project and continues to oversee the business, is proud of the final result. “As local owners and managers, we endeavor to create a modern, safe, clean facility that is responsive to the needs of the community,” he says. “We are also very pleased the historic barn was spared from demolition during the development of our project and that the Shaw Brothers Family Foundation was able to repurpose that building and return it as an asset to the town.” 

Walter shakes his son’s hand, beaming. “I think we did right by the community. They’ve got a storage option and a renovated landmark that’ll now be here another 200 years.” 

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Brad Hadfield is the MSM web manager and news writer. 

Thanks to the following people and organizations for information and photos: American Journal, Bill Barnhill, Scott Campbell, Robert Lowell, Mansfield Creative Services, Abbot Mosher, Portland Press Herald, Shaw Brothers Family Foundation, Walter and Nick Stinson