Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — The Great Smoky Mountains Bake Off featured a gingerbread cantilever barn this year — an iconic design brought over from Scandinavia, according to officials.
The barn includes a space lifted by two large columns, hoisted above the ground where crops could be stored. They said that the design protected crops from the damp ground of Appalachia's temperate forests. They said it also protected European farmers from taxes since they would be taxed on the ground that a building touched.
Typically, livestock would be able to eat in the middle space between the two columns. Equipment could also be stored, and animals could stay dry under the overhang on rainy days. Farmers could also drive carriages under the barn due to their unique shape.
Officials also said that Sevier and Blount counties have the most cantilever barns in the entire world — around 183 in Sevier County alone.
They are seen throughout the Tennessee side of the park, especially in Cades Cove. Usually, cantilever barns are built out of chestnut boards — not gingerbread!