During May, 2026, the Iron Work Farm will both celebrate and mourn the loss of the magnificent 19th-century barn that crowned Faulkner Hill during the decades that it occupied the working heart of the Faulkner family farm. The building was both a livestock and hay barn, built in the three-aisle form that came to typify the progressive farming era in New England.

But there’s a darker side to the barn’s story. In 1938 it became perhaps Acton’s best-known example of a building lost to arson, as it joined the list of victims of a group of “barnburners” whose mid-night torches destroyed several unoccupied buildings over a period of several years in various parts of Acton before World War II. Here, at least, the granite-block cellar survives.

DATE: Sunday, May 24

TIME: 3 – 5 PM

LOCATION: Faulkner Homestead, 5 High Street, Acton, MA 01720

ACCESS: The barn site is not officially accessible, but is reached by a cleared, gently rising dirt path that is part of a loop trail around the property. The doorway into the Faulkner House retains a low threshold and a single, shallow stone step at the main entrance. Parking is available on site.

This program is offered by Iron Work Farm as part of the Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History, an annual month-long celebration showcasing events and activities hosted by local partners celebrating the unique places, objects, and stories of the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. Hidden Treasures programs are free and open to the public. Click to discover more Hidden Treasures!