The Bates Barn Story:
A Family Farm on Belleisle Bay
We're Robert and Janice Bates, and Bates Barn is our family's barn wedding and event venue on the Bates farm in Long Point, New Brunswick, overlooking Belleisle Bay. The first barn went up here in 1946 and burned in 2017. We rebuilt it, and the first wedding in the new barn was in June 2018.
How the Barn Began
Marilyn (Bates) Mitton, daughter of Royden and Bessie Bates, the original owners, wrote this history in the fall of 1993. She worked from the detailed notes her father kept in a scribbler. It describes the original barn, so some details are about a building that is no longer standing.
The Farmhouse, 1935
It was in August 1935 that the dreams and plans for a new farm house began. Dad was 23 and Mom was 25, and they'd been married just three years. The couple lived with Dad's parents in the white (now grey) farm house to the right of Bates Barn, and the new home was to be built next door. The design came from a Halliday catalogue of house plans that circulated in the mail.
Mum and Dad moved into their new home after New Year's in 1936. The downstairs was finished, but it was some years before the upstairs was done. Wages came to $271.13, freight to $42.90, lumber to $356.49, other building materials to $428.88 and windows to $90.00. With a few odds and sods, the grand total for the house in 1935 was about $1,400.
Building the Barn, 1946
With one large building job behind them 11 years earlier, it was time for another project in 1946: a barn. Grampie Bates' barn across the field had served all those years, but it was aging and outgrowing its usefulness.
The Mercer family helped too. Harry was the chief carpenter, and Uncle Wilfred was the "assistant." Wilfred was in his 70s by then and still hooked on his love of drink. Harry drew the blueprints for a two-storey barn, 63 feet long and 30 feet wide. Building started in July and finished in December.
Local names like Bob McCutcheon, Rueben Roberts, Art Humphrey, Ray Holland, Albert Earle, Frank Bates (Robert's father), Gordon King, Sterling Earle, George Morrell and Millard Ganong (married to daughter Ruth) made the payroll list. Dad's records put the total wages at $1,059.15.
Jean (Erb) McKnight lived further up the road and worked for the Department of Highways. She helped get the government road scraper to prepare the building site. Warren Allaby hauled the gravel from Charlie Peter's beach in Kingston.
No Material Wasted
Cement was almost impossible to find in the years right after the war. Dad went to G.B. Jones in Apohaqui, a senator and storekeeper at the time, who used his contacts to scrounge up a whole rail car load. This time the cement was mixed with a machine instead of by hand, as it had been for the house.
The light boards in the walls and ceiling of the barn came from the cement forms used in the basement. Once the cement cured, the boards went into the barn. No material was wasted in 1946.
Inside the Original Barn
The barn had room for 18 cows, with 12 stalls in the front area downstairs. The six at the back were never used for cows and became pig pens. Peter and Molly, the two resident horses, had stalls near the two grain chutes that came down from the grain bin upstairs. Behind the horse stalls stood a cold water concrete tank for storing milk and cream, along with the milk separator. The cow stanchions, manure carrier and tracks were moved over from Grampie's barn, and the track was still visible in the ceiling of the top floor in 1993.
The outside was finished with cedar shingles, a job that took a number of years with the help of staging. The original shingles were still on the barn in 1993, though aging was showing. The hip roof first had reddish-brown aerolock shingles, later replaced by steel. Just ask Mum how she felt when Dad was way up there shingling!
Growing Up Around the Barn
There are wonderful memories of playing hide-and-seek in the hay mow and going out with Dad to hand-milk the cows. There are the not-so-terrific ones, like the time brother George stuck his finger in a live socket and promptly announced he was going to die. There was the fear of the scratching hens when it was time to gather the freshly laid eggs. And there was the challenge of washing the separator, especially the disks on the large pin that had to stay in order. Lots of fun times.
Perhaps "thanks" says it all to Mum and Dad. They had the dreams and the vision, they did the hard work, and they gave their family a caring, loving home. They also offered a welcoming, hospitable atmosphere to family, friend and stranger alike. It cost them time, energy and money, but I never once sensed they gave in any other way than with good intention and gladly. It's a marvellous heritage they modelled and gave to us all. Now, if only those walls could talk.
From Cow Barn to Wedding Venue
Janice Bates picks up the story in 1984.
1984: The Farm Changes Hands
Robert and Janice bought the property from Robert's cousin Royden in 1984. The barn was used for hay and grain storage, and animals hadn't been in it for several years. Royden kept using the bottom level to put together puzzles. The family found treasures in the barn, including dishes, books, BRHS yearbooks, an Eaton's catalogue and antiques like a sleigh, trunks and farming tools.
1993: The First Dance
In 1993 the barn hosted a wedding dance for a neighbour. That started an annual dance and corn boil each August to thank the neighbours and customers of the farm's roadside market. Years later, family friends who met their partners at one of those dances asked to use the barn for their own weddings, and the Bates Barn event venue was born.
Since then the barn has hosted weddings, anniversaries, family reunions, church corn boils and retirement celebrations.
Making the Barn a Venue
The trap door over the rickety basement staircase gave way to a proper new set of stairs. Bathrooms and a prep kitchen went in on the lower level. A large outside deck followed in 2015.
In 2016 the family added an emergency door and a bar, plus a permanent outdoor arch that their son Jim installed for his own wedding. That arch still stands today, and it's the one piece of the original barn that came through undamaged.
The Fire and the Rebuild
2017: The Fire
In the early morning hours of February 15, 2017, a fire destroyed the original Bates Barn and everything inside it. The barn was empty and locked up for the winter. Investigators later confirmed the fire was deliberately set. Huddle covered the story in 2022. The farm machinery stored there was lost too, and we replaced it by spring so we could plant for the season.
2018: The Rebuild
We decided to rebuild and started in August 2017. The first wedding in the new barn was in June 2018. The ceremony arch our son Jim built for his wedding was the one piece that came through. The new barn has exposed beams, looks out over Belleisle Bay, and sits next to the Bates Family Apple Orchard.
Meet the Team
Meet our amazing team at Bates Barn! Each staff member brings unique skills and a genuine passion for their work, ensuring that your experience with us is truly exceptional. Discover the friendly faces dedicated to making your time at Bates Barn unforgettable!
Owner
Janice Bates
Hello, I'm Janice. I welcome guests to Bates Barn for events and weddings. In my free time, I enjoy travelling and cherishing moments with my family whenever possible!
Bartender
Heather Carragher
Hi I'm Heather, I have been working with Bates Barn since 2018. I love travelling with my family and visiting new places.
Bartender
Katie Searle
Hello, I'm Katie. I've been with Bates Barn since 2018, working alongside my mother. Additionally, I started a local flower farm down the road, called Belleisle Bay Blooms!
Bartender
Krista MacDonald
Hello, I'm Krista. Since 2021, I've been working with Bates Barn alongside my sister, Janice. I'm passionate about ATVs and enjoy dancing whenever I get the chance.