06/17/2026
Stay tuned. Maybe the only time a lot of get to see a barn being raised up like they did a couple hundred years ago. So excited Brooster's and Unplugged Coffee gets to be a part of this.
It’s ON THE ROAD! Heading to La Vernia! Every beam you see was a standing tree in the early-mid 1800s in Butler County, PA, until a settler-farmer rolled up in his wagon to settle that land you see. He pulled out hand saws 🪚, his ax 🪓and adze (like an ax, but blade curved downward and turned other direction - like if you curl your fingers to resemble a bear paw), to chop away the roundness and create flat sides.
Then he pulled out a hand-drill (with wood handle - not electric) to bore holes into the wood, and followed that with his large flat chisels to hollow out “mortise pockets”, and chop away the ends of the beams to create “tenons” to fit into the mortise pockets. This process fastened 2 huge beams together.
Nails weren’t used in such large beams. Hand whittled wood pegs the size of railroad ties were made by the farmer … over and over again … to hold 2 beams together, all over the barn frame.
🇺🇸🐄💥We’re receiving all of it … every beam; every peg. And we’re going to SET IT ALL UP AGAIN at our new 3 acres on 87 between La Vernia and Sutherland Springs. 8915 US HWY 87 West. Local Heather of Bard Craft Designs LLC has created NEON YELLOW Barn Crew tshirts for all of to wear as we’re re-assembling it, and La Vernia’s The UPS Store 6504 by HEB is busy creating a huge 4x8 “Coming Soon” banner for us to put up, so you’ll more easily find the new location - until the obvious frame is up.
THIS will be La Vernia’s new Pioneer Wood Company mercantile featuring Pop's Ice Cream’s 2nd location (their original by Legacy Ranch will remain) , and with Brooster’s Coffee (now re-named “UNPLUGGED) and a wine/Hill Country Cider House/tea room adjoined to it on each side, and MUCH MORE … creating PIONEER VILLAGE. (We have MANY more local business surprises to announce later.)
This will just be the main building facing 87. Many others will surround the back and sides of it with a central garden patio area connecting them.
Our plumbing is now complete, thanks to LG Plumbing of Poth. And now
Cornerstone Construction of Central Texas will return Thursday June 18 to finish the concrete slab process.
The off-and-on-rain might slow us down more than we planned … but the work still continues! As soon as Caleb Powell gives us the 👍 that his slab is ready - we’ll transfer the antique barn frame from our La Vernia beam warehouse (Green Oaks Storage where Diamondback A/C, Heating & Refrigeration is located) to 87 and start putting it all together again! You’re invited to watch!
The process of reconstruction typically only takes 1-2 days tops. So stay tuned to our posts to find out the date of re-assembly! A good Old Fashioned BARN RAISING!
🇸🇪 🇳🇴I’m fully Scandinavian … Swedish & Norwegian. My family raised me on floral painting called “Rosemaling” … so I’ll be adding my Scandinavian upbringing and rosemaling to the structure, and the decorative trim boards will replicate the oldest Viking “stave” church in Norway, where my great-grandfather immigrated from. “VELKOMMEN!” (Welcome!) 🌺🌼
Once the barn beam frame is up again, we’ll THEN frame around the *outside of it with 2x4s - as is normal framing - for wiring, insulation, siding and Sheetrock, leaving the antique beam frame fully-exposed *inside the mercantile… so you’ll be able to see it in all of its 200 yr old glory inside.
‼️‼️‼️(** NOTE: Due to the number of followers we have, Facebook no longer permits me to use or or etc anymore. And the computer algorithm only shares our posts with 1% of our total followers. No lie … ONE PERCENT OF YOU will EVER see our posts … UNLESS you “like” our posts. Liking posts sends a signal to the computer algorithm that *you want to see more from Pioneer Wood, and it’ll start ensuring our posts are seen in your Facebook feed. And as more of you like a post, the algorithm will share it with other followers - “in case” they might want to see it too. The only other way I can bypass the algorithm to update you is by posting on our “story” - at the ⬆️ top of the screen. All followers receive the story. I don’t want you to miss the BIG DAY!)
🎁 If only the immigrant farmer 🌽 🐂🐓who made this barn knew that one day his hard labors would be deconstructed, driven to Texas on a huge 18-wheeler (rather than on a pioneer horse or cow-drawn wagon) to become a STORE. We hope to do him proud -
