Provincially Registered Property

Sanford Barn

North Medford, Nova Scotia

Also known as Baldwin Barn

East elevation, Sanford Barn, North Medford, Nova Scotia, 2007.

East elevation, Sanford Barn, North Medford, Nova Scotia, 2007.

Photo: Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2007.

Recognized
1988
By
Province of Nova Scotia

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Sanford Barn is situated on a brow of a hill, under Blomidon Mountain with an excellent view of the Minas Basin in North Medford, Nova Scotia. This wooden barn was built around 1900. The footprint of the barn plus a twelve foot (3.65m) buffer are included in the provincial designation.

Heritage value

The Sanford Barn is valued as it is a very rare surviving example of Nova Scotian barn construction, with overlapping roof rafters forming a shape similar to the hull of a ship.

The Sanford barn was built around 1900 by local shipwright and farmer, Leverett Sanford. The Sanford Barn is a copy of another barn Sanford built for Sir Robert Borden.

The Sanford Barn used unique and very rare wood construction techniques. The barn is built of overlapping roof rafters that form an inverted "keel," similar to the hull of a ship. It is the last surviving example of this design in Nova Scotia.

The barn has been maintained and is in fine condition.

SourceProvincial Heritage Program property file, no. 63, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Character‑defining elements

Character-defining elements of the Sanford Barn include:

  • wooden construction, with six-over-six windows, plain wooden cornerboards and cornice;
  • overlapping roof rafters forming an inverted "keel", similar to the hull of a ship;
  • location on a working farm near the Nova Scotian coastline, with an excellent view of the Minas Basin.

End of the register’s text

Location

921 North Medford Road, North Medford, Nova Scotia, B0P, Canada

45.19251° N, 64.37266° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.