How Do You Raise a Barn?

Plain and Fancy
“How Do You Raise a Barn”
Toolbox

The Yoder’s barn burns at the end of Act I in Plain and Fancy. Amish neighbors come from all over to rebuild the barn in Act II.

The toolbox is symbolic of the centuries old practice among Amish, Mennonites, and other Plain People of helping each other in times of loss. Should a barn burn neighbors from close and faraway, often other states, show up with their tools to help rebuild the barn, appropriately called a “Barn Raising,” because it goes back up in a single day.

How do you raise a barn?

You raise a barn with nails and wood,
With nails and wood and schwitzing good,
It comes a barn!

You raise a barn with careful hands,
So strong it looks and strong it stands!
With careful hands, so strong it stands!
With nails and wood, and scwihtzing good!
It comes a barn!

A recent tornado in Davies County, Indiana, destroyed nearly every building in a ten mile swath through the middle of its Amish community. Help arrived immediately following the destruction and in coming days bus loads of Amish and Mennonites arrived from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and as far west a Kansas.