From the heartland of rural Missouri comes news and photographic proof of an incredible insulator find. A find never previously reported in "Crown Jewels," and one I hope will entertain all subscribers. In this article, we will see photos taken recently of an unusually old farm barn still equipped with an original Chambers Lightning Protection System. 

On March27 of this year, Chris Hedges and I met with an old friend and early insulator collector named Buck Clevenger. We have known Buck for almost 20 years, since he is an electric lineman, and was involved in the early collecting heyday in Kansas City. It was during this period that some of our most beautiful and sought after insulators were recovered from outdated power lines in the metropolitan area. Later, Buck was transferred out of town and during this change of work territory, he lucked out and discovered this old barn. Without Buck's discovery and assistance, this story would not have been possible.

The picture above shows a view of the entire length of the Chambers system. Mounted beneath the cable are six of the large CD 317 insulators. Also visible are three vertical lightning rods, two remaining arrows, and one surviving CD 132.4 companion Chambers. It is obvious that the roofing material is not original, but all replacement and improvement efforts have been made with the intention of preserving the Chambers system.

The next picture shows two of the CD 317s, mounted at the end of the system. Notice the unusual height of the air terminal, in relation to the three footed lightning rod.

This picture is a close-up of the one above and gives a much better view of the CD 132.4 support insulator. 

You can almost view the constructed groove of the insulator's base. This groove was designed to provide structural support for the massive air terminal. If you look closely, you can see the wire used to connect the insulator to the air terminal. Also notice the ground cable trailing downward, and disappearing beneath the barn roof. We made a careful search of the back side of the barn, but turned up no evidence of any CD 124.5 "handle" Chambers. If these were ever installed, they simply did not survive. 

The next picture is a view of the middle rod located along the center of the roof. Notice the hole in the tail of the arrow and the strange looking "glob" directly above the roof cable.

The final photograph (see next page) is a close up of the above picture. You are now looking at an insulator collector's nightmare! You can easily see that the base of the companion Chambers is all that remains. The insulator has been broken, and the base has dropped down the rod and lodged near the top of the three feet. When one compares this damage with the hole in the arrow tail, one cannot help but ponder the possibility of a farm boy entertaining himself many years ago with his 22 caliber rifle! 

After photographing the barn, we temporarily split up. Chris went into the farmhouse to interview the owners. Buck and I stayed outside and visited with the neighborhood historian who happened to drive by. Later we compared notes, but found the information gleaned was sparse. No one could remember hearing talk of the barn's construction date, nor the name of the farm's original owners. Consensus of opinion was the barn was slightly over 100 years old. The carpentry characteristics seemed to confirm this because we found that the floor and roof supports had been "pegged" to the main beams with one inch wooden dowel rods, as opposed to the use of metal bolts and nails. The owners also told us the barn had originally been built with a hardwood floor.

It was interesting to note that no one seemed to understand the historical significance of the Chambers system. The owners seemed genuinely unaware of its collector appeal and antique value. Apparently, no one had previously shown any interest in photographing the bar, and no antique "sharpie" had approached the owners in an attempt to purchase it. 

It was a beautiful spring day and as we headed for home, we felt a genuine sense of accomplishment. We were glad we had recorded this scene, and to have been privileged to observe it in person.

For the sake of privacy and the protection of these antiques, we have given the property owners our commitment to not publish their names or the location of their property. But I wish to personally thank them for their assistance in the preparation of this feature. Also -- a special thank you to Chris Hedges for his photographic expertise. Mighty good job, buddy!

A 1882 Cincinnati Business Directory ad showing the Chambers System