Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Winter Barn Wednesday


This barn sits on a hill overlooking the mighty Connecticut River Valley and is witness to the growing and harvesting of hundreds of acres of corn, hay, pumpkins, fiddleheads and other diverse crops.
For over 200 years this barn has seen many changes and been well used.
It now has a small herd of Dexter cattle that take shelter in it on rainy, bitter cold days.

From a mile away the barn still looks large. I estimate that it is over 300 feet long.
It was once a very active dairy barn in its day.

Click on the photos to enlarge and enjoy them.


Such a majestic old barn, built by settlers and pioneers to this valley 2 centuries ago.

The hand hewn beams and siding were cut from the woodlot that once surrounded it.


The land of this farm has suffered the land acquisition by railroad, highway and tax lots.

But the biggest loss will be this barn when the rain rotted beams start to collapse on each other.

Note the big wet spot on the side of this barn.





The roof on this side still looks good.



But age and lack of repair are starting to take its toll.


 I drove up the highway on the front side of the barn to get a closer look at the water damage.



As I got closer, it got worse. I saw where the beams are already buckling over the windows.



 With no place to pull over I did some drive by clicking.


Front looks good.

I plan on going back in better weather and somehow walking over to the front and the "other side" of the barn, where the cows are.

It is a narrow road with no where to pull over, so I will have to find a willing volunteer to drive by and drop me off.


Well worth it to document this classic barn before it falls to the ground.
~

16 comments:

  1. All over the country old barns seem to be dropping to decay and lack of care.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another heartbreak of a beautiful old barn slowly going away. It is too bad that there wasn't a nonprofit that would take on the repair of these quintessential VT structures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nothing is more nostalgic than an old barn. Makes me think of my Grandfather and the smell of hay. I see so many of these majestic structures in our area that are in need of love that my heart breaks for the days of old that this country will never see again. Can't wait to see more pictures of this one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's a wonderful old barn. So glad you documented it before it's gone. It would be so great if someone would repair it, but I know the cost of that is probably prohibitive.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a classic scene... Thank you for joining in 'Rurality Blog Hop #6' Hope to see you next Wednesday for #7...

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is always such a shame to lose these beautiful old barns. :(

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a gorgeous barn! Too bad it is falling into such disrepair. Thanks for all the great pictures. Sometimes it's very difficult to get these drive by shots:) Have a great weekend! Twyla

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is one fabulous looking barn! Thanks for sharing it.

    I took photos of a local barn last year that sits on top of the road like this one. Also narrow. lol Of course at one time these were no doubt dirt roads leading from farm to farm and to town and little else. Now they sit precariously on the edge of the modern day roadside.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog this week. :-)

    You had asked me about doing the rollover effect on photos. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

    The main thing is that you need a place to host your photos because they can't be directely uploaded to Blogger using this technique.

    This is the tutorial that I used. It's explanatory and simple to follow, although it still took me a couple of tries to 'get it' right. lol

    Rollover Effect

    When you get around to playing, should you have any questions, you can either do a Google search for more info., or email or contact me via my blog. I'll be happy to help if I can. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello Jane,

    I wanted to swing by & let you know that I sent a card, but in my haste, I forgot to note inside that it was from me... my name is on the front, I think, but I fully intended to write a line or two. I'm always in too big a hurry! =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm always fascinated with the huge old barns I come across too, and they make me a little sad too.

    I was happy to see you featured at Violet Imperfection today. Totally well deserved!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sad to see it falling into a state of disrepair. I hope you are able to go back and get more pictures of this barn. Sure is a nice one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the look of old wood, of time held in each board. Lovely photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Amazing that it is 200 years old. I hope it gets the care it needs to continue being a beautiful landmark.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very interesting. Preserving history in pictures. Great idea.
    Following you from Friendship Friday.
    Blessings,
    Janis www.janiscox.com

    ReplyDelete