All Roads Lead to Huntington

Yesterday while inadvertently passing through the often overlooked and uncannily well located town of Huntington, I chanced upon Liberty Head Post & Beam, Inc’s massive raised barn and workshop and Duncan Keir who graciously accomodated the unexpected. What a find

Liberty Head has been working exclusively with post and beam structures since 1977. Meeting Duncan Keir, it’s clear how they’ve thrived across the decades. Their timber frames are legendary and I’d come across them in showings, admiring the exuisite craftsmanship, solidity and Vermont, each custom designed in the Vermont tradition. While dissecting a Hinesburg home in their inaugural year of business, they came across an 1826 Liberty Head penny, obviously placed by the craftsman, giving Duncan the fledgling company’s name.

Massive posts and beams spread across the workshop floor, the first faux hand hewing ever in progress for an unusually large new frame headed for Stowe. Hatchet in hand, Rick gauges the next throw, falling blade to make it’s mark on the long beam, patterns of rythym and continuity, a flair engineered yet most natural. Tools abound, the aroma of hemlock, massive wood furnace it the corner to heat the cathedral hall of creation from it’s own discarded byproducts. A sense of exaltation and purposeful focus and inspiration.

Click here to visit the Liberty Head website or visit the Professional Services page at maplesweet.com