Preserve the barn that shelters our animals, our work, and the future of this farm.

The barn at Crown Hill Farm needs a new roof and I need your help paying for it.

Water is coming through the roof and destroying what's underneath. Tarps are buying us time — but they are not a solution.

Click the "Donate Now" button and help save the Barn at Crown Hill Farm. 'More' details below ⬇️

This campaign needs to be funded by April 23rd so the roof can be replaced before October 2026.

IF THE BARN IS LOST

What this means is that the barn infrastructure underneath this roof is already starting to decline because of the leaks.

Water is seeping through the upstairs floor and into the spaces where the animals live. Moisture brings mold, bacteria, and worsening air quality which increases the risk of illness for the sheep and poultry and slowly damages the structure itself.

And this is a special barn with a rich history.

For generations, this barn has held the lives of many families who cared for this land long before I arrived. It carries the history of farm work, gatherings, and the steady rhythm of life that shaped this place over decades. I don’t want the legacy of this history to end on my watch.

It’s personal for me.

Hi, I’m Missy Singer Dumars, the farmer and steward of Crown Hill Farm in Eden, NY. Caring for this barn is part of caring for the land, the animals, and the history that came long before me. I don’t see myself as owning this place so much as holding it in trust for the years I am here.

Since coming to Crown Hill, this barn has quietly held my own daily life as well. Ten years ago, I arrived with no farming experience at all, and within these walls I learned everything from scratch with wonder, often frustration, and the slow, steady lessons of daily farm life. It is where I spent long hours sitting on an upturned bucket simply watching the animals settle into their routines, and of course, the season when my beloved Daisy raised her litter of puppies inside this barn’s walls.

Over time, I’ve come to think of this barn as having a personality of her own — steady, protective, and deeply generous.

If the roof continues to fail, that protection begins to disappear. The loss of this barn would completely break my heart.

Without repair, the barn will become so unsafe that I wouldn’t be able to step inside or use it. I would not be able to continue raising fiber sheep or providing safe winter shelter for the chickens, ducks, and geese. And, the beauty and ambience of this special spot would be forever gone.

At its core, this roof project is about ensuring this barn’s ability to continue providing all it already does.

For those of you who love the animals, it means ensuring they continue to have a safe place to live through our winters and protection from heat, storms and predators year-round. Without the barn, there won’t be animals.

For those who follow the fiber work, it means sustaining the conditions that allow me to continue raising sheep and producing yarns from animals cared for with intention and respect. Without the barn, there won’t be fiber.

And for those who have visited, gathered, learned, or simply spent time here, it means preserving a place that continues to hold community, connection and shared experience. There won’t be the same beauty, history and ambiance.

WHAT IS NEEDED TO PROTECT THIS BARN

There are roughly 1,200–1,500 people who have a real connection to this place.

If even a portion of that extended community each carried a small piece, this roof could be raised together, a good old-fashioned barn-raising, if you will.

If about 400 people gave $125, the roof would be fully funded.

If 800 people each contributed around $60, we would reach the goal together.

Let me break the costs down for you.

Having talked to multiple contractors about the barn roof, this is what the project entails:

SUBTOTAL: $42,000

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TOTAL PROJECT: $50,000

This brings the primary fundraising goal to $50,000, the amount needed to ensure the roof can be completed fully, safely, and responsibly.

When I think about the community that surrounds Crown Hill Farm, I think about the many people who have visited, volunteered, learned here, shopped for fiber, attended dinners, or followed along over the years. The scale of this project starts to feel more human-sized.

Because this roof must be completed as one full project, it can help to see how some larger contributions directly support specific parts of the work.

For example, plywood sheets needed to repair damaged roof areas cost about $120 each. A $1,200 donation would cover ten of the 45 sheets specified.

There have been no gutters on the barn since I’ve been here, which means every rainstorm creates mud and water pooling around the foundation that all the humans and animals need to walk through. Gutters cost about $1,445 per 55-foot run, and two runs are needed.

And I know not everyone can help at those levels. Every contribution, large or small, moves the whole project forward.

STRETCH GOAL

Beyond the roof itself, I have a stretch goal of an additional $10,000 to address several long-needed improvements that would make the barn healthier, safer, and easier to care for into the future.

This includes:

These improvements are not required to replace the roof, but they would significantly strengthen the barn’s long-term resilience and functionality.

LOOKING AHEAD

Beyond protecting what already exists, replacing the roof keeps an important opportunity possible for the future of this barn.

The upstairs floor of the barn is a large open space with high rafters and a solid hardwood floor.

Unfortunately, the holes in the roof have allowed water, weather, and animals inside, damaging the floor and making the entire space unsafe and unusable.

Originally designed for hay storage, this space has served a wide range of uses over the decades. From stories I’ve been told, it functioned as a play space with basketball hoops and gymnastics rings, and hosted gatherings and dances and as well as storage over the years.

I have not been able to use the second story for the last number of years, however I have many ideas for its future use!

Over time, besides restoring the historic nature of this beautiful old barn, I see it returning to serve as a place for people to gather.

Replacing the roof is the first step in making sure that possibility remains open.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If Crown Hill Farm, or my work here, has meant something to you over the years, this is your opportunity to help protect one of its most essential parts.

Every contribution goes directly toward this project so that the barn can remain a living part of this farm.

If you are not in a position to contribute financially, sharing this campaign is deeply helpful. Pass it along, post it, or share in whatever way you can.

This barn has stood through generations of care. With shared support, it can continue to stand for generations to come.

Thank you for being part of the ongoing love and continuity of Crown Hill Farm's legacy.