Barns

Many barns have crumbled to dust and been removed in the twenty five years I have lived in this community.  They have succumbed, on the whole, to progress.  Some are waiting for progress to catch up. And progress has overtaken others.

Many years ago the plight of barns in this old farming community interested me, and I drove around a little, here and there, taking barn pictures.  I came across two of the pictures when I scanned all the photos on hand.  There were more, but they are gone, like the barns.

Both these barns are gone.  They are no more.

This barn is south on the main road, in the old township that was annexed by the greedy city to the south. Progress has come to the east side of the road; there is a steel and industrial plastics company.  The west side lingered for years, the old farming acres relatively undisturbed.  Even the skeet shooting club decamped in the face of city regulations, and their old barn declined. Traces of the last paint job remain under the eaves.

For the last couple of years the land has been undergoing remediation.  A developer will be building a large senior living complex on all those acres.  But first he had to pick up all the lead shot!  Actually, tons of earth were trucked away and other tons trucked in to replace it.

This old barn was part of some manufacturing complex.  I assume that was its second life. Other buildings include the original farm house, some smaller farm outbuildings, and a recently built (less than a hundred years ago) concrete block building with six loading docks and a couple of yard offices at the end.  It’s for sale.  Not including the horses across the street.  Comments anticipated.

This barn sits unused in a field near us.

This barn is on a small road near us.  Several horses are generally about.

This old homestead is near us.  There is a pond with a picturesquely deteriorating dock and an equally decrepit row boat on the bank.  Only a glimpse of the old barns is visible from the road, but the property is both deserted and for sale.  We ventured down the grass filled old gravel drive and found posted signs covering the front of the house.  I’ll go back some time with Emily; she’s braver than Jan.  It’s Emily’s barn, in any event.  She says she’s spotted it way in the back.

I see old barns frequently, out and about, and intend to be more diligent in recording them.  Like Gilderoy Lockhart and the joined up writing, I can take pictures with my phone now.