No-one knows exactly when this barn was built. Or by whom, but legend has it that before Our John’s Great – Grandfather gutted it to put huge harvesting machines in there, (horrible) it used to house the draft horses that pulled the early farm implements.
Plus the house cow and a couple of hogs for the house I am sure.
Some of those old farm implements are still in the big barn over at the big farm.
These two huge badly hung doors were not part of the original design and are the bane of my life because they swing out in the wind and as the barn settles and rises in the weather the doors dig into the ground. Once they are closed for the winter I have a home-made (with kiwi ingenuity) drop bar to keep them secure and in place. Though I hate to shut the barn up too early. Cutting out the sun.
Our place was built for the farm hand who was also in charge of the farm horses. So it is pretty rudimentary and many of the farm buildings were pulled down before I got here.
The original little cottage, (which would not have been pretty – they don’t do pretty houses round here – just beautiful barns) would have been down by the root cellar. Many of the houses in those days were ordered as kits through the Sears catalogue.
Today I will pull round the truck and start pruning down the hedges around the study. The hedges are red stemmed dogwood. I let them grow high in the summer to shade my study but in the winter I want all that warming sun.
So today I begin the long prune all around the house. With my clippers. I will get Our John to attach the chipper, he inherited from his brother, to the tractor and chip all the prunings for the gardens.
The apple trees are waiting for their early winter prune too. I think it is cold enough.
We missed the rain in the forecast and today has dawned fine and clear. But cold.
Time to get the gloves and hatties out.
Winter has begun to stir.
Celi
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36 responses to “This Old Barn”
Yep, it’s definitely time to get out the hatties and gloves! My spring and summer farm clothes have already gone into the window seat and the fall and winter clothes are out and already being used! The Big Ole Farmy Barn is a relic indeed! Ours is quite old as well. Much smaller, but well utilized. I just love the old barns!
Oh you have a window seat! I have an old suitcase for the changeover of seasons. I just put a pile of t shirts in it yesterday and got out a few jerseys. The house stays quite cool so I don’t wear t shirts in the winter!
I love your descriptions, I always feel like I’m walking around with you
Thank you Beth. That really is how I write. Doing a walk about in my head!
Same
The barn looks so much like the one we grew up with, one that my grandfather built. He had draft horses as well, and although I was small when he passed away and our family moved in with my grandmother, the collars for the horses always remained hung in the barn, near the door. There was a hayloft, and we kids considered the entire barn our playhouse. The grandparents also raised pigs, and in later years, my mother put her garden where the pigpen used to be. I guess I probably don’t have to tell you how wonderful our garden grew!
Good memories, except the one when my brother was playing with matches and accidentally burned the whole thing down…
Oh Dorothy, so sad about your barn😢😢. These ole barns are building of great memories for the cows n horses n us kids too!! Loved hearing that your Mother had a very productive garden!!!!
I was lucky, and appreciate all the wonderful delights my parents grew in that little garden, even if it meant snapping green beans until my fingers ached!
Fire is what we all dread. Shame about the barn but your bother was lucky not to get burned too. Lordy.
Oh to hear about these ole barns! If only those barn walls could talk!!
We didn’t have any rain here either- it woulda been snow!! The sun is so pretty n bright!! Really warms up our sunroom with 3 full walls of glass windows!!! (16×20 n E.wall with windows on up to the roof line)!! We love it.
I really loved the posts n pictures of the farmy animals this past week!!
Better get your long undies on, but at least there’s no wind!! Have a good day but take it easy Celi🥰🥰..
No wind is such a bonus. Just. Little breeze to dry the washing – that’s all I need.
That was such an interesting history lesson about your barn and the stories from other farmy members, thank you all. I love the picture of the jug and tree view through the window, new screen saver coming up🙏🏼🙏🏼At present l am using a beautiful shot of chickens in the foreground lit by gorgeous autumn light, but time for a change!
That window is my first view of the morning. It is a lovely one to wake up to.
I’m sure the current hogs love the old barn, creaks and all!
They do! Especially with all that lovely deep straw!
Winding down and settling in for winter. I feel the urge to do that as well although our snows usually don’t come until after the near year…at least I hope they don’t but who can really plan anymore. The gloves were on for my walk the other day for sure. Lovely photos today for us, thank you!
Same here. And if we do get snow it won’t stick- the ground is way too warm yet.
Our house came in a kit on the railroad. Terry’s grandmother and grandfather ordered it from Wards catalog. It was a HUGE marvelous day when they took several wagons down the hill to the unloading side of the train and brought it back up the hill to gradually be put together. Seems rather neat to me.
Good morning Celi…….Such a lovely story brings to mind such simpler times. I always think of barns and farming as being the perfect anecdote to today’s hustle and bustle. Although, one must work incredibly hard to keep up and setup such as yours.
Stay warm and thanks for sharing a part of your life.
Jo
That barn is beautiful, such a lovely shape. I love old buildings and houses there is so much history in them if we only knew it.
Yes, winter is coming in here too, southern Indiana is a little warmer than you. The last several days have been really nice and warm (lower 60’s) I was even out for “short” periods in bare feet and just a denim shirt. We did get some of that rain that you missed. Not much maybe a tenth of an inch yesterday morning but cold is moving in bit by bit. I got all my wool socks, sweaters, and coats aired last week in between bouts of raking (almost finished—just a little clean up here and there) so I believe I am nearly ready for some winter weather.
It starts off cold then warms up – not today. No barefeet today!!
Sometimes I look at all the leaves – and I wonder – where on earth did you all come from – there are SO MANY. I just leave mine. A big wind will come through at some point and blow the loose ones into the field – that’s my story and I am sticking to it! I do try to keep the paths clear!
I lived for a few years in a big 4 bedroom Sears house. It was a decent structure.
I love learning about the history of your barn. My great-grandparents had a wonderful old barn on their farm. It burned down in a prairie fire 5 years ago which left us all sad. Dad kept his barn in good condition and gave it a fresh coat of red paint quite often. Actually, it was my brothers’ job to paint it, which they detested. We weren¡t allowed to play in the hay loft because it was dangerous. So, of course, we always did.
My property doesn’t include the original barn, just what they called the machine shed. The big barn is just over the property line. I don’t know when it was built, probably before the house. The original part of the house is square logs and was built in 1886. I have no idea when the add ons were done – large kitchen, 1 bed and bath with 2 small beds under a large dormer above – but the lumber used was full 2″x4″, most likely tamarack from the property. The descendants of the original owners live right down the road. I like to imagine the people who lived here and how they did.
A huge thank you for a living history lesson so appreciated if one is a city-bred European/Australian . . .
What is this? I need to buy chickens?!
Maybe?