| THE TENNY LOG CABIN AND STONE BARN |
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Despite it formidable appearance, there is no evidence to support local folklore that the barn was built to serve as a "fort" in case of Indian attack. Few Native Americans remained in Oakland County by the time of Highland's settlement. Instead, the structure simply made "good use" of the abundant stone turned up by clearing and plowing the land. Octagonal, hexagonal and even round houses and barns enjoyed a brief popularity in the early to mid-1800's. They were theoretically more "efficient" since they contained the same volume, but used less siding and other materials, than a rectangular structure of comparable size. Soon after Henry and Mary Charlick purchased the old Tenny farm, a corner of the barn fell in. Henry decided to shore up the building with wood rather than use the laborious method of remortaring the stone, as seen in this photo.
