Thursday, January 30, 2020
More Barns
I've been moving from best to worst in this tour of the Highway 26 barns, (see yesterday's post)so today is the bottom half of this spectrum. In the case of farms that are still active I find myself wondering about what sort of operation the farmer runs. But in the case of these barns I find myself wondering how did it ever get to this point!
The first group of four are all barns that are still standing, but where I can see no evidence of active farming, unless they're using the barns for storing hay. Certainly some of the accompanying fields are still being hayed. I like the picture that the last one makes, nestled in the trees.
This old drive shed looks stable for the moment, but the barn beside it is now gone, just a collapsed pile of rubble.
One of the few cases where I actually have a before and after picture, this blew down in a windstorm last spring.
This barn, just down the road from the one above, was completely and carefully demolished, along with the farmhouse, in one week last year.
I'm thinking that these two may be the next to go; they're looking pretty unstable.
This barn accompanies the old farmhouse on the edge of Owen Sound, right beside the big box stores. All boarded up and for sale, but no telling how long it might sit here unused.
Finally there are barns that are now missing,just the old concrete shell of the silo remaining to mark the site of a former farm home. So we've got the complete spectrum of farms and barns along this road, from well-maintained and active to fallen down or just about to fall down! An interesting story in the economics of farming these days.
Just in case you think this is typical of this part of southern Ontario, here's a nice farm not too far away in a different direction and on better soil. And if you went further, down into Huron County, you';d find very large modern farms that look dramatically different from any of these.
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I guess when farmers move on, and maybe new owners do not continue to farm, the barns gradually fall down, or turn to decay. I always think of what they could tell us, and if hay, or animals sheltered there. The grain silos, here they are mainly at huge poultry farms, when the hens are all in cages.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see all the old barns. Great collection of pictures.
ReplyDeleteThese are all intersting photos. The scenery of agriculture. The beauty and sadness of change.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I've been involved in the removal of two barns: One was sold for removal, every timber numbered, the roof purlins and siding removed, then the rafters, then each square timber from the bents. That barn was reconstructed elsewhere. The second one was damaged by a small tornado which tore off the roof, including many rafters, and twisted the structure on its foundation. That one was knocked down by a demolition contractor and burned.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame to see so many barns neglected, but they're expensive to maintain and over a century or more powder post beetles often do major hidden damage to important parts of the structure. And, if the roof has significant leaks for quite a while it's good-bye barn.
I have learned so much about barns from your posts. It's sad to see them decay but as Woody says, they must be difficult to maintain. Thank you for introducing me to these still-standing relics.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I too find old barns interesting and often wonder about their histories. They make great photo subjects.
ReplyDeleteProbably some new technology had something to do with the disappearance of farms..
ReplyDeleteI hate to see them slowly collapse. I suppose it gets too expensive to buy the wood and do the upkeep. One of my favorite barns has had damages at least three times and each time I wonder will they repair and so far they always have.
ReplyDeleteYes, same thing here. Farmers now roll hay so that it is protected by plastic, and they just leave it in the field like that until it is needed.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that they're allowed to fall into disrepair.
ReplyDelete