A Short History of Larmon House Movers, Inc.

A 5^th Generation Family Business Founded in 1885

Schuylerville, N.Y.

2024 marked the 139th year the Larmon family has been moving buildings.

1885 First Generation

At first, (in 1885), moving was only a part-time occupation for Grandfather Brill Larmon. He was a farmer, and, like most farmers, occasionally moved a farm building or two around on the property. He had a knack for moving; word spread, and he was hired to move buildings for the neighbors as well. Over the years he developed more "know how" and acquired more equipment, and branched out to move a few houses as well as farm buildings.

His son, Milton J. Larmon, continued in the house moving tradition, but still only part-time. (He also built and remodeled houses.) One of his most noteworthy mass moves was that of relocating dozens of houses at the site of the excavation of the NYS Barge Canal in the Dunsbach Ferry area in 1911. Mr. Larmon was the first in this area to introduce the "three bearing hitch" which is now used worldwide by housemovers.

Milton Larmon's son, Donald M. Larmon, grew up helping to move buildings. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wyoming in 1950. With his background in the family business, his technical knowledge, and his expanded experiences (he was a WWII veteran who saw combat in Germany and Italy), he was able to take over the business and develop it into the full-time profession it is today.

Over the years the business has changed considerably. In 1885 moving was done with horses, log rollers and windlasses. Nowadays Caterpillar tractors, trucks, "unified" hydraulic jacking systems, steerable dollies, and steel beams are used. During the heyday of road building and commercial expansion (1950s-60s), the Larmon firm relocated hundreds of houses to make way for new highways, banks, and supermarkets. The reputation of the firm spread by word of mouth, and they are now known in the locale to be the "best in the business." The firm has enough equipment to have a number of buildings up on beams at the same time (while masons build walls underneath them.) This enables them to efficiently schedule job after job throughout the moving season.

Sadly, Donald M. Larmon passed away in May of 2003. Larmon House Movers, Inc. is now owned and operated by (Donald's son-in-law and grandson) Stanley A. Barber and Adam C. Barber. Adam represents the fifth generation of this business. They currently employ two additional men to perform their trade. Behind the scenes; Donna L. Barber (Donald's daughter) does the bookkeeping, while her brother Wayne is the firm's computer consultant.

In 2001, Stan's son Adam joined the business. While growing up, Adam was immersed in the business because he worked with his dad and the crew during school vacations. Adam's marriage to Sarah propitiously added yet another like-minded member to the family business. Adam and Sarah are the fifth generation of Larmon House Movers, Inc. Their son, Andrew, was born in May, 2010—time will tell whether he may become the sixth generation of Larmon House Movers, Inc.