“Open Concept Plan “
Workers for T.J. Jefferis General Construction dismantled the east wall of the building owned by the Pumpkin Festival at 111 West Main Street this week giving a new meaning to the term “open concept plan”.
The wall was the original exterior wall for the remaining building erected by Barnesville founder James Barnes’ nephew Henry T. Barnes in 1822. Later, Barnes expanded the residence with the addition of a room to the east, two window bays on the right, shown in the photo below. A doorway between the two sections was filled in with wood (shown above) when the sections of the structure were divided.
For a couple of days, the look of the building with its interior rooms and stairway exposed gave the appearance of a building in present day war-torn Ukraine.
Before the end of the work week, a blue tarp covered the opening, the first step in the process to erect a new wall between the historic structure and the new, two-story commercial building under construction next door.
The Henry T. Barnes residence as photographed in 1908 during Barnesville’s Centennial celebration. The first story from the door to the the right served as the home for Foster’s Men’s and Boys Wear, later Turk Trophy Shop, while the room to the right was the restaurant dining room for Harp’s and Patrick’s restaurants. The right side (rooms) of the building were razed in 2023. (Photo: Centennial Souvenir 1808-1908, Barnesville, Belmont County, Ohio, p. 9)
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