Uniquely American, the Pennsylvania style of timber-frame barn can be found across the United States and into Canada. Although the heaviest concentration occurs in Pennsylvania, you may see them across the old Oregon trail or certain style elements into the deep south. These barns prove that early German and English immigrants cooperated to make these enduring, state-of-the-art, barns that can endure for generations. Some are being built new today.
The true Pennsylvania barn has a bank to access the loft directly for wagons (see above photo). The bank is usually on the back of the barn but can also be on a gable.
A forebay overhangs the stable wall and shelters animals, workers, and the stable wall from the elements. A granary, used before the invention of the silo, sits to one side of the forebay in the loft. Its position above ground helps to prevent rodents from gaining access. The early settlers took advantage of the Appalachia foothills to enable easy loft access. In so doing, the basement is semi underground. With hay and straw above, the stable area stays cool in summer and warm in winter.
Constructed of heavy hardwood timbers, pine siding, and stone, these structures were built to last. Pegged joints swell and contract through the seasons with the timbers, preventing them from loosening. One can only marvel at the genius of our ancestors who made these tremendous structures with hand tools and horses. Their success enabled our country to grow and flourish.
Extended forebay requiring posts for support 
Unposted shorter forebay. The windows were added in the 1930s to ventilate a dairy operation. Note the loft doors for threshing and feeding hay. The pillareichs (rooks) on the far right were a closet for horse items. The rook on the other side (not visible) had shelves.