Welcome to our 1864 farmhouse…life is good!


Wednesday, May 9

old barns...

In this fast-paced, newer-is-better world, I have a soft spot in my heart for things that are old.
Old houses, old barns, old ways of doing things.

I understand that "old" oftentimes means more work. We've found our house has "charming" slanted floors & doorways, and finding someone to plaster walls is next to impossible. All these things make renovating challenging, and yes, I've thrown my hands in the air many times thinking it would be better to start new.

But after all, houses from 1864 have seen a lot of laughter, tears, and love. It's comforting to walk on the floors and look through the rooms and out the windows where so many generations before us have done the same.

I feel the same about barns. You'll see a bit of the old construction of our small barn here. And while it needs a little love...that's exactly what it will get.

So when I saw this old barn down the road with all the boards gone, I understood. Wood rots over time and it would be nice to put fresh, strong boards on the outside. The frame stood straight and strong...what a fine barn it will be again.


However; a few days later, I drove by only to see this...




Yes, the frame had been removed...I'm hoping it found a home on a new farm. What you see burning was only some remaining wood; however, there was still a sadness to it all.

I'm going to keep a file and photograph old homes and barns as I find them, and perhaps I'll add them to a weekly post. There's just something captivating in their age and character. And, sadly, I feel that most of these vanishing landmarks will soon exist only through photography.

These words seem so true...

"Those who seek the spirit of America might do well to look first in the countryside."

-Eric Sloane, "An Age of Barns"


3 comments:

  1. Sad about that old barn. There are several around here in our wheat fields as well as lonely old farm house shells. All of these have many stories in their old wood - if only they could talk. It is always sad when we loose one to our strong winds or layers of heavy snow.

    @ 3Beeze Homestead

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  2. A shame isnt it ? I to love old barns, farm houses and churches old buildings in general . Our farm house we call Our Country Cove was built in 1895 and was an old school house at first in the late 1700s early 1800s we still have the old stone foundation of the school house in our cellar. I hear you about the floors and doorways. I find old places have character a history a story to tell and yes it would be awesome if the walls could talk as Snooks said thats why I love old ! Taking as many photos of old as we can will help preserve their legacy through our photos , thats how I like to see it ! Lovely post . Have a good day !

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  3. It is sad because its a slice of history............Id like to invite everyone to a post I've just published honoring the TV show "Big Valley", and also actor Peter Breck. Included with this post are 2 personal recipes that was sent to me by Peters wife Diane, so please stop by and say hello and share your memories of this classic TV show. Richard

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Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

 
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