I was "chore boy" during June of 1959, but an appendectomy late in June required me to leave this post and Martha's Vineyard. After more than half a century, I retain many fond memories of Barn House and its June occupants, particularity Mrs. Warren and Mrs. Halpren (sp?). Tom Roberts

I was the "Chore Girl" the summer of 1988 (I think?) and it was the best summer job I ever had! What great memories of getting the beds ready for the next occupants, helping tbe cook with meals, day breaks spent at Lucy Vincent beach and evenings exploring Vineyard nightlife with the "Chore Boy" (who was a girl) and the Cook (high school classmate who got me the job!) Always loved the concept and community of Barnhouse and will always remember the experience!

I went to Barn House for several summers with my step-father, Dick King, my brother and my mother. Dick's father, Stanley King, president of Amherst College in the 1930s, had been one of the founders of Barn House, as I was told. I loved it. It was sort of libertarian -- an eclectic collection of Boston Brahmins and other New England folk. There was no electricity in the coops (as in former chicken coops) in which most people stayed. So it was kerosene lanterns at night. After dinner everyone got up and did the dishes in the Barn, sometimes singing and otherwise carousing in the Barn, where we all ate communal style. I remember Thomas Hart Benton coming one night. I had no idea who he was. I learned to fly one summer while staying at Barn House (1958, I believe). You reached South Beach through a 20-minute walk through "The Bog", a generally slushy and mosquitoey place which led to wonderful if brisk surf. There were no surf boards, I don't believe -- it was all body surfing. One morning Dick took us all to have a cook-out breakfast with Roger Baldwin on his place nearby, with blueberry pancakes over an open fire. I had no idea Roger Baldwin was such a significant figure in the creation of the ACLU. He was just delightful company to a young boy. We all had a lovely time. Barn House was a rarity, and I only hope its libertarian spirit of fun hasn't succumbed to the political attention the Vineyard has subsequently won.

Having just returned from another wonderful vacation at Barn House as the guest of my sister and brother-in-law, I was curious to see what had been written about this unique property. Those who have worked at or visited Barn House will be pleased to know that the chores and singing while dish washing are still a venerable part of your time there. Two days of rain created opportunities for lively and interesting discussions among the guests a few of whom had been members for over 50 years. Betsy, the chef for the past several years is a wonderful asset as is her husband. I hope to be able to return once again for what is definitely the most relaxing, yet stimulating vacation one can have.

I was "Chore Boy"summer of 1961. Isobel Stevens, who taught history at Woodstock Country School in Vermont, recruited me in my senior year. Anne Hopkins, who taught at Shady Hill, was my boss. Her parents, while "getting on",were, I understood, original incorporators. The swamp was pretty nasty, the beach beautiful. One of the daily chores was to take the Barn House motorbike, once breakfast was cleared, around to farmstands at Menemsha and Edgartown to buy the specific lettuces required for the day's salad. Always looked forward to the trip and "release." On Sunday,the order was to crank a six-quart freezer for the after lunch ice cream. Enjoyed the occasional, and sometimes worldly, conversations.

I was a chore boy for the summers of 1970 and 71 and remained on the property through the end of 1972 and left in January of 1973. I also have very fond memories of the quests who were some of America’s elite yet were down to earth folksy people. Roger Baldwin was a favorite of mine and I actually drove him around the island on my off time. While no one mentioned it the beach across from Barnhouse was called Jungle beach and it was the nude beach on the island.

As granddaughter of one of the founding members, Margaret Cushman Warren, I spent many a wonderful summer at Barn House, sometimes staying in the Warren Coop, and at others in one of the other "coops". What incredible memories - the musty aroma of the barn, the smell of mothballs that kept woolen blankets safe from moths, the odor of kerosene lanterns, the daily chore of carrying our chamber pots up to the central bathhouse, taking turns showering in the outside shower, or utilizing the indoor tub, the aroma of the bars of yellow soap with which we scrubbed daily to prevent poison ivy. Children at that time dined on the back porch of the house, and only adults were allowed in the barn for meals and for cocktail hour. Once my grandmother was no longer an active participant, my Mom, who was married to my grandmother's son, William Warren, and I were permitted to go to Barnhouse preseason on Grandma's membership, and later, on my Aunt Edith's membership. As children arrived in our family, my mom and I would take my sisters' and my kids to Barnhouse, and we'd all have a wonderful time opening the house and Barn for the future guests. We scrubbed and painted chairs, swept the barn, cleaned the kitchens - and then headed off over the moors to the beach, or Gay Head, or Menemsha. So many happy memories shared with Mom. And now her grandchildren share those memories. Barnhouse was her most favorite place in the world. Whenever I've been to the Vineyard since then, I've stopped at Barnhouse, where wonderful gracious people would allow me to walk around and see the place once again. I thank them, and hope that I'll be permitted to do so on another visit.