by Bill Bower
Guest Writer
TROY — Historic preservation provides a link to the roots of the community and its people. Overall, historic preservation adds to the quality of life making for a more livable community.
The Troy Sale Barn, which was built in 1922, played a big part in Western Bradford County’s agricultural heritage; however, by 2014, the barn was not being used and in deplorable condition. The talk around town was that the barn was destined to be razed and a parking lot put in its place. The local people did not want this to happen, and a town hall meeting was held at the high school. The turnout was great, with only one person voicing his opinion of wanting to have a low income apartment house built.
In the beginning, our efforts floundered; however, a group was formed of ten people (Troy Sale Barn Operating Corporation) to keep the project alive. The local people and businesses responded by donating financial aid, building materials and their time to make sure the barn was preserved. The Troy & Canton FFA chapters were a great help too! The committee is happy to report that work will be completed by June 4, 2022, which will be exactly 100 years since the first sale was held in the barn. The Troy Sale Barn Operating Corporation is planning a special FREE celebration on the fourth of June, a time to reminisce on the barn’s history to the present. We will even have a small animal auction!
At the beginning of the “Save the Sale Barn” project, we were told by many local people that we were crazy. The building of the barn included areas with architecture that would not be included today. The barn stands as a monument to all past and present farmers of Bradford County.
As we make the final push to reach this goal, the committee is still collecting donations. One way the community can help is to purchase a seat for $150. A brass tag will be attached to the seat, with the name of someone they want to honor. The seats are from the old Half Shire Court House (now the C&N Bank in Troy). The C&N Bank donated the seats to the sale barn, which also helped to preserve additional local history.
The Troy Sale Barn currently hosts a variety of public & private events, including: yoga, archery, birthday/retirement parties, anniversaries, Lions Club Christmas Baskets, Hometown Christmas, square dances, family reunions, weddings, memorial services, bridal/baby showers, proms, fundraisers, dances, meetings, banquets, community theatre and more! We are looking forward to the future of hosting open mic nights, poetry out loud, performing arts, concerts, tribute bands and more in the arena when finished. Please like & share our Facebook page and check out our website.