Fire destroys ‘old barn’ at historic Ross Farm, killing 138 sheep
North Bethlehem farm supplied animals for Running of the Wools festival
The “old barn” built on the historic Ross Farm property that had become a geographic landmark near Glyde was destroyed by fire late Monday, killing more than 100 sheep, including some that delighted the crowds attending the annual Running of the Wools races.
Firefighters were called to the farm at 102 Route 519 in North Bethlehem Township shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday and found the 116-year-old timber frame barn engulfed in flames.
Crews immediately doused the flames with water and were able to protect other nearby farm structures, but the barn was destroyed, and the 138 heritage and rare breed sheep and two goats inside died in the blaze.
“Those sheep were our history and our future,” said Amy Ross Manko, who owns the farm on Route 519 near Route 40. “So many people in the community have an attachment with our barn, our farm, even the individual sheep.”
The barn had housed sheep ever since it was built on the 178-acre property in 1910, and the farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, among several other historic designations. However, Ross Manko’s ancestors have been farming in the area since before Pennsylvania was a state.
“You would be surprised to know how many people messaged me and said they drove by (because) they had to see it for themselves,” Ross Manko said of the barn being a landmark for the area. “My barn is an icon, not just for my family, but also for Glyde.”
The barn and farm also are an integral part of a family tradition with her son, Drew Ross Manko, becoming the sixth generation to run the farm and raise sheep. The devastating fire comes less than five months after Drew Ross Manko died Sept. 17 at age 30 following a brief illness.
Ross Manko talked about how her son mentored many young people who were interested in agriculture, including some first generation sheep breeders who were looking for help getting a start. Some of the animals for those young farmers were lost in the fire.
“We’re still reeling from that and trying to move forward with the knowledge he had,” Ross Manko said. “All of our pets were in there. All of them were in that barn.”
Drew Ross Manko was instrumental in starting the annual Running of the Wools festival in 2023, transporting about a dozen of his sheep to Washington to run heat races in the downtown business district, drawing thousands of visitors to town. Clay Kilgore, who is the Washington County Historical Society director and also helped to organize the sheep races, said he immediately thought of his late friend when he heard news of the fire.
“Sorry, I’m still not over Drew’s passing. This is bringing it back up,” Kilgore said of the fire as he began choking back tears. “For as young as he was, he had an understanding of the impact that agriculture had on this community, not just today, but in the past. He really wanted people to understand the importance of it.”
Kilgore said Drew Ross Manko used the Running of the Wools as a vessel to teach people about agriculture and particularly the sheep industry, which has been prominent in Washington County for hundreds of years.
“He saw Running of the Wools as a way to get that information out in front of people. Also, he loved the spectacle of it. He loved that they were cheering on these sheep that he had raised and were so excited about it,” Kilgore said. “He understood we could do something fun and something crazy, but he also saw the benefit of having the platform for that.”
And that’s why Amy Ross Manko said she will do everything in her power to ensure the fourth-annual festival happens on May 3 as scheduled.
“I don’t care if I have to beg, borrow and steal. We’ll have sheep on Main Street. Whatever it takes, we will have the Running of the Wools,” Ross Manko said.
She spent Tuesday gathering with friends at her farmhouse just a few feet from the charred remains of the old barn as they tried to come to grips with the emotional toll of losing the animals, not to mention the financial setback from the fire.
Melinda Wamsley, who runs Boss Mare Shearing and has been caring for the flock to assist Ross Manko following her son’s death, said she was devastated by the fire and lost five of her own sheep in the blaze.
“I lost my sanctuary,” Wamsley said. “I was trying my damndest to keep Drew’s flock going and to literally see it go up in flames.”
In addition to the animals and the barn, a hay wagon and skid-loader were also destroyed by the fire. Ross Manko said there is no way to recoup the lost income from the animals, and the lambs were just about 12 days away from being born, further compounding the already immense loss. Meanwhile, the insurance on the barn is minimal due to its age, meaning it will be costly to rebuild.
But all was not lost. A dozen rams, seven donkeys, three horses and a cow remain on the farm and the other nearby buildings were not damaged, which Ross Manko thanked the fire crews for their work to save the other structures.
Oliver Kilgore, who lives on the property in a home next to the farmhouse, was able to drive away the brand new tractor that Drew Ross Manko had purchased last year before it could be consumed by fire. The vehicle sustained a shattered windshield and some of the plastic attachments melted from the intense heat, but it still appears to run.
“That was Drew’s dream tractor,” Ross Manko said.
The farm has been the site of tragedy before after Ross Manko’s husband and Drew’s adoptive father, Scott Manko, died in an ATV accident on the property in December 2019. But Ross Manko said she intends to rebuild the flock that was her son’s pride, along with reconstructing the barn using the same timber-style frame as the old one.
GoFundMe online fundraising websites are expected to be launched in the coming days, and Ross Manko is already getting messages from around the world and from people within the sheep and fiber industries offering support and asking for ways to help.
“I feel a responsibility to my ancestors to rebuild it the best we can. But I’m still in a trauma state from losing him,” she said of her son. “I hope the flock is with Drew now.”
Fire crews were on scene for about four or five hours, Lone Pine fire Chaz McVay said. Lone Pine was assisted at the scene by departments from Cokeburg, Richeyville and Marianna. The cause of the fire is not immediately known and may be difficult to determine due to the extensive damage to the barn.