Built from 1889 to 1891 by William Seward Webb as the center of a grand horse breeding operation, the Breeding Barn remained the largest open-span wooden structure in America until 1939. Its life as a horse breeding center, however, was short-lived.

W. Seward Webb’s dream was to breed a Hackney horse for Vermont farmers that was strong enough for a plow and elegant enough for a carriage. The barn stabled stud stallions, yearlings and mature horses and boasted an interior exercise ring 375 feet long. With the rise of the internal combustion engine and a lack of interest from Vermont farmers, however, the operation quickly went under. By 1904, most of the horses were sold and in 1913, Seward and Lila Webb deeded the southern 700 acres of Shelburne Farms, which included the Breeding Barn and Old Dairy Barn, to their eldest son as a wedding present. The Breeding Barn was used intermittently thereafter for fox hunts, polo, hay storage and to shelter cattle.

In 1994, with the support of several individuals and foundations, Shelburne Farms reacquired the two magnificent barns and 400 surrounding acres. Work then began to save the Breeding Barn, reinforcing its structure and replacing its roof. The goal for the Breeding Barn in the new millennium is to integrate it into our environmental education programs as a three-season gathering hall, suited for a wide variety of educational, agricultural and community uses.