Around 1981, this barn in what is now the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford was featured in a Manitoba Co-operator series on rural buildings. The original caption for the photograph is given below.
This tall and proud example of Ontario barn styles is found two miles west and one mile south of Neepawa. Measuring an impressive 72 feet in length and 46 feet in breadth, the rare example of vertical siding was built for Mrs. Margaret Sangster in 1914. Alma Banyard, the current owner, reports that Mrs. Sangster was widowed in 1903 but continued the farm with her two children until the son was old enough to take over. He ordered in car-lots of British Columbia fir to construct the barn which features 10-foot ceilings instead of the traditional nine. The frame consists of 10-inch square timbers held together mainly with wooden dowels. The siding is six-inch fir flooring, while the upper floor is constructed of four-inch thick planks that have over the years supported many local barn dances. The Ontario-style ban reflects the original owner’s origins in Eastern Canada and is now used for grain and general farm storage. Please note the two ventilation chimneys at each gable peak, rather than cupolas that decorate most barn roof ridges in the province. This large barn with its spacious storage capacity seems appropriate for the Neepawa area. The Neepawa is a Chippewa word meaning “plenty” or “abundance” and perhaps reflected the fact this area at one time shipped more grain than any other area in Manitoba.
On 24 November 1892, William Sangster (1866-1903) married Margaret McNab (1860-1943) and they had two children: William James Sangster (1894-1970) and Maggie Alma Sangster (1895-1989). After renting farm land at SE30-14-15W for some time, the Sangsters bought it in 1897. As the above text states, Margaret Sangster commissioned construction of the barn and, after she died, it passed to her daughter Alma who, on 22 January 1938, had married Archibald Charles “Charlie” Banyard (1898-1975). Alma provided the above information before her death on 14 May 1989.
Sangster Barn (circa 1981)
Source: Bob HainstockSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.21609, W99.50393
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Co-operator Rural Buildings Series
Birth registrations [William James Sangster, Maggie Alma Sangster], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
Death registrations [William Sangster, Margaret Sangster], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registrations [Maggie Alma Sangster, Archibald Charles Banyard], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
First Century of Langford: 1891-1991 by Langford Centennial History Committee, 1990, page 205.
Archibald Charles Banyard, FindAGrave.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Bob Hainstock, Ed Ledohowski, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 5 September 2025
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
