SOLD to Jason S in Trumbull, CT on 10/24/2018
We have some similar 6×8 and 8×8 pieces still available.

Barns will often have a mix of wood in them. This particular barn was a mix of White Oak, Pine, American Elm, Rock Elm, and American Elm. This particular beam mantel is Rock Elm. This mantel has a nice, pale, almost blond color accented by the elusive gray color. I say elusive because good grays are very hard to find. They are an artifact of dirt and rot accumulating over the years. Once you start to clean, sand, and finish the piece, the gray disappears. We used a finish called Briwax on this one which keeps a pretty near raw wood color but provides a nice, more cleanable surface.

Note, this mantel has a very large crack in the bottom. It is completely stable and should not grow over time. With the hard density of Rock Elm, this is very common with this wood.

This mantel beam came from an early 1900s vintage barn between Waconia, MN and Cologne, MN. About 40 miles SW of Minneapolis downtown. This is the beginning of modern farm country in these parts. The soil here is rich and black and runs black as deep as three feet. This was also the Western edge of what was once referred to as the Big Woods. If you have ever read Laura Ingalls Wilder books, you’ll see references to these very woods. The original beam had traces of hand hewing. This barn may be older than I thought or the material was re-used from a previous barn.

We can cut this mantel shorter and refinish the ends for an additional $50.
It can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $75.

The Tag — To My Valentine. We found several boxes of old paperwork in a dumpster once upon a time. This is an old valentine dating back to the 1930s.