{"id":2807,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:40:14","latitude":46.70443499999999659166860510595142841339111328125,"longitude":-112.0129160000000041463863453827798366546630859375,"title":"Gehring Barn","subtitle":"Gehring Ranch Historic District","fullsize":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/ac4edff201cb7513fac3cdebe0ce7ce1.jpg","address":"5488 Lincoln Road West, Helena, Montana","all_locations":[],"zoom":6,"creator":["Montana National Register Sign Program"],"description":"Residents in the North Helena Valley thought the early morning smoke rising near Silver Creek on September 8, 1928, was a wildfire. They soon learned that David Gehring’s barn was burning. The fire destroyed the barn and, to add insult to injury, took the lives of five horses. The large board-and-batten barn with its sweeping catslide haymow was less than thirty years old and insured for only half the cost of a new replacement. Despite the lack of insurance, drought, and rough economic times, David hired carpenters to rebuild the barn right away. Professionally designed and built barns like this one were a departure from the rough-hewn, labor-intensive buildings that preceded them. The new barn reflects the modern era of barn building and uses dimensional lumber and lightweight balloon framing. Its self-supporting gambrel roof housed a voluminous loft with a pulley and fork system attached to the ridge beam for easy hay loading. In 1933, David further expanded his milk operation when he added a combination cattle barn, milk shed, and loafing shed to the south of the corral.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"Private","lede":"","website":"","related_resources":["<a href=\"https://mhs.mt.gov/shpo/docs/NRnoms/GehringRanch.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read about the Gehring Ranch Historic District</a>"],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/ac4edff201cb7513fac3cdebe0ce7ce1.jpg":{"id":3539,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Barn- Gehring Ranch Historic District","description":"Barn- Gehring Ranch Historic District. Front to side view of the barn structure, facing west with a view of Lincoln Road West. Digital photograph. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | Mar.-Apr. 2016 | Paul M. Putz","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/ac4edff201cb7513fac3cdebe0ce7ce1.jpg"},"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/fullsize/610f4156d48ad87b492919c59b697d08.jpg":{"id":3540,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Barn- Gehring Ranch Historic District","description":"Barn- Gehring Ranch Historic District. Front to side view of the barn structure, facing east. Digital photograph. | Montana State Historic Preservation Office | Mar.-Apr. 2016 | Paul M. Putz","thumbnail":"https://mail.historicmt.org/files/square_thumbnails/610f4156d48ad87b492919c59b697d08.jpg"}}}