Mishawaka architect, area Amish craftsmen build full-scale ark replica

By Sam Householder; Published 7/3/16

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. According to the Bible, Noah had 120 years to build the ark. LeRoy Troyer has
to do it in one year.
Troyer, founder and architect for the Mishawaka-based Troyer Group, has overseen and led the
construction of a full-scale replica of the famous biblical boat on an 800-acre site in the hills of Kentucky.
Troyer and his construction crews, of course, have the benefit of modern tools and also the fact that their
ark doesnt need to float.
The project is for Ark Encounter, part of a biblical theme park the ecumenical Christian group Answers in
Genesis is constructing in Williamstown, Ky., about 40 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Answers in Genesis also runs the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., about 50 miles north along the
Ohio River.
The ark uses 200 acres of the 800-acre site and will include a zoo where animals will be on display.
Officials say that every morning a parade of actors led by Noah will board the ship. The park is set to
open July 7.
According to Troyer, his firm specializes in timber construction, as well as using environmentally
sustainable building techniques and materials.
The ark project is using over 3 million board feet of lumber, according to Troyer Group. The main wood
used in the construction of the ship is an acetylated pine wood. According to Troyer, the wood is grown in
New Zealand, shipped to the Netherlands for a treatment then taken to North Carolina before being
shipped to their site.
The heavy timbers used for much of the framing were sourced from the Pacific northwest, according to a
Troyer Group press release. Troyer said that the timbers are up to 38 inches in diameter.
The timber specialization has led to Troyer, who was born on an Amish farm in Elkhart County, to utilize a
number of Amish builders from Elkhart and LaGrange counties in Indiana, as well as from Pennsylvania
and Ohio, among other locations, to assist with the project.
We needed the skillset. You have to have the right people to do a job, Troyer said. We work with them.
We had some people come out from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Elkhart and Lagrange County just to plan.
He estimates around 12 Amish communities from those states have worked on the project, making up the
nearly 300 workers that were on the site last week, he said.
According to Answers in Genesis Senior Vice President Mike Zovath, members of the groups leadership
traveled to Elkhart County to the American Countryside Farmers Market to get an up-close look at the
type of timber work Troyer and his builders can provide.
It was remarkably similar to the inside of this place, but this is much more robust, Zovath said of the
market interior compared to the ark. Its really the heart and the brains of the project. LeRoy Troyer and
all of his architectural design, thats who we went to when we wanted to build this thing because we knew

he had the timber framing understanding and was plugged in to the Amish community that did all the
timber framing.
Troyer said that the challenge with building a replica of the ark is that little is known about it, other than
the fact it existed.
There is very little information in the Bible about Noahs arks dimensions. Its in cubits, he said.
Biblical cubits are converted to 20.4 inches and the Ark Encounter ship is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and
104 feet tall to the top of its sail, Troyer said.
The ship is supported by three concrete towers, each 70 feet high, which brace the structure against the
high winds of the hilltop on which it sits. According to a Troyer Group press release, the structure can
withstand winds as high as 120 mph.
Troyer said he was drawn to the project for both religious reasons and its unique challenge.
It was a challenge. The only other person I know of building Noahs Ark was Noah, he said.
When the project is finished, Troyer already knows who will get credit.
Ill give God the glory for the opportunity, he said. Its been said that without Him we cant, without us He
wont because Hes always worked through people.
THE RIGHT TEAM
Troyer said that he was first contacted about the project in May of 2009. At that time, Answers in Genesis
was planning a steel structure with wooden covering. He told them that he could build them a timber
structure and showed them previous projects, such as the American Countryside Farmers Market and
the Davis Mercantile in Shipshewana.
Once they signed off on the plan, it was up to Troyer to find the right builders. That is imperative to any
project, he said.
Having the right people at the right place at the right time and having harmony among the workers, he
said.
Troyer enlisted the help of Amish timber framers, such as Ernest Lehman, of Topeka and his brother, Orie,
of Shipshewana. He also brought in Dave Bontrager, an expert timber framer from Middlebury.
Orie Lehman said he hopes that others will be inspired to turn to God through the work on the project.
This is an outreach, to set some kind of example, he said. Its a way to give people an impression of a
real Noahs ark, as opposed to a fairy tale.
Lehman said that he and other Amish were drawn to the project because of shared beliefs between the
group and Answers in Genesis.
Its basically biblical authenticity, he said. "We cant just try to pick and choose and revise scripture as
we choose. We need imagine that that is correct and factual and follow that."

Zovath also said he hopes that the structure will bring one of the biggest Bible stories to life for millions of
people.
Itll change lives, thats the only reason were doing this. Its not to have another attraction for families to
come and see, although thats going to be a big part of it. But its the message we want to present to
change lives, Zovath said. If the Bible is true, this shows that the ark could have been built. It wasnt
some bathtub ark, it was a gigantic structure.
He added that the construction would not have been possible if not for the contributions of the Amish
carpenters.
I dont think wed have been able to get this thing done without the initial input from those folks, he said.
Then as we got closer to the end we needed quality carpenters and we needed them in volume. They
just kind of set the level of work ethic for all these other contractors that have come in.
For Orie Lehman, though, its about more than a job.
I dont know if it sounds presumptuous, but maybe its what we were called to do to use the gifts that
we were given and apply them, he said.
For more information on Ark Encounter or to buy tickets, visit www.arkencounter.com.