Name/Title
Old Barn/Stable/Outhouse/AccessoriesEntry/Object ID
2023.29.1Description
Old Barn/Stable/Outhouse/Accessories- all pieces are handmade, some using cigar boxes. Inside of barn are stables, a storage box with a hinged lid.
See note below from owner who donated the set.
2023.29.1.1- Barn
2023.29.1.2- Stable
2023.29.1.3- Windmill
2023.29.1.4- Outhouse
2023.29.1.5- Hay Wagon
2023.29.1.6- Cart
2023.29.1.7- Horse Tie-up
2023.29.1.8- Farm implement
2023.29.1.9- Twin Beds- made from cigar boxes
2023.29.1.10- Table
2023.29.1.11- Couch- Broken legs
2023.29.1.12- Foundation of home (?)
The barn, out buildings, wagons and water tower are from the Henshaw/Jenison family. The Henshaw family immigrated from England and the Jenison family immigrated from Ireland and both families settled in Hammonton in the middle to late 1800's.
We can see wood cigar boxes were used in parts of the structures. The doors of the barn open on all sides and the front doors slide open. Inside you can see a feed bin that opens, a ladder and stalls for animals. The very small, working hinges had to have taken a lot of patience to attach. There was also a house associated with the barn as we have the bottom foundation but the house is gone. Also note the two-seater out house, a common necessity of the day. The water tower used every day items of the day to build.
Benjamin Franklin Henshaw arrived in Hammonton in 1857 and was one of the earliest settlers per the book "The Story of Hammonton" written by William McMahon, reference pages 8 and 9. He was my great grandfather. He was married to Rebecca A. Hewitt, they were married in 1869 and had five daughters. The youngest, Sarah A. Henshaw, was married to my grandfather, John William Jenison. They married in 1916 and had one son, John Elsworth Jenison, who was my father.
My grandfather, John W. Jenison, was the son of John Francis Jenison and Mary Clarke Jenison. John Francis and Mary settled in Hammonton around 1866. They eventually settled on a small ten acre farm on Main Road which is now the White Horse Pike. Mary eventually turned the farm over to my grandfather, John W. Jenison in 1926 following the passing of her husband. My father inherited the farm after my grandfather's passing and the farm was eventually sold in 2003.
I wish I knew exactly which ancestor built the set but I believe it is a wonderful example of the ingenuity and craftsmanship of he time and it is time it is in a place others can enjoy it for years to come and is back to the town it belongs.
Attest: June Elizabeth Jenison-ShimpAcquisition
Accession
2023.29Acquisition Method
GiftCondition
Reason for Exam
At AcquisitionOverall Condition
FairDate Examined
Jul 21, 2023Examined By
Deborah White