Bowerman Barn
Why it's listed
Built in 1878 by Jacob Bowerman and others, this two-story barn stands about one mile south of Trinity Center in Trinity County, California. It measures forty by sixty feet and was made with whipsawn lumber, hand-hewn pine beams, mortise-and-tenon joints secured with hardwood pegs, and a foundation of hand-placed native stone. Board-and-batten siding still shows traces of its original red ochre paint. The barn belonged to a ranch on the stage road between Weaverville and Trinity Center, where the Bowermans raised beef cattle and dairy stock and sold butter and beef to local businesses and miners. Anna Bowerman also ran a small inn for travelers. The ranch left family hands in 1931, and by 1974 the barn served only for storage. The Forest Service acquired the land that year and carried out partial restoration in 1975. Its age, rare hand-crafted construction and exceptional integrity make it the best surviving example of its kind in the county.
Significance in brief: The barn is argued to be significant as an increasingly rare example of hand-crafted construction and for its association with the growth of local commerce through the Bowerman ranch's cattle, dairy and stage-road inn business. No other hand-crafted barn of comparable age or preservation survives in Trinity County. It remains in its original location with exceptional integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 81000181, listed March 20, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Trinity Center on Guy Covington Dr., Trinity Center |
|---|---|
| County | Trinity County |
| Listed | March 20, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000181 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1878 |
| Architect / builder | Jacob Bowerman, et al. |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered in the main; partial restoration was done in 1975. The barn was used for storage by 1974 and the surrounding pasture and cattle chute are used seasonally under a grazing permit. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.89995, -122.76797 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 81000181.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14681630
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.