Just Won't Go Down.....
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
These old mountain barns are stubborn critters. I thought this one would have completely collapsed years ago when I first discovered it.
Tom
Tom
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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Some of the old buildings were built with insect resistant timber, such as redwood, cedar or chestnut, that helps them survive.
Canon 50D, 30D and Digital Rebel (plus some old friends - FTB and AE1)
Long-time amateur.....wishing for more time to play
Autocross and Track junkie
tonyp.smugmug.com
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
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Picadilly, NB, Canada
Thanks for he comments, Tony. I'm sure you're right about some of the materials used.
Tom
Thanks, Gary. I appreciate your support.
Tom
You're right about that, Ceci.
I've got maybe 200 really good images on file ( out of thousands of exposures ) of different barns I've shot over the years. In a few cases, I've been able to personally document the life of some of these barns over a 30 year span.....realizing, of course, that the barn itself is much, much older than that. I know of several that have verifiable construction dates going back to the early 1800's.
A word of warning to fellow barn shooters: Many, many old barns are being sold off to buyers looking for the old wood. I know of at least 10 neat old structures that have suffered that fate. If you like these old buildings, you better get out there and shoot them before they're all gone.
Tom
As a photography subject!
Don
'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' ....
My Blog | Q+ | Moderator, Lightroom Forums | My Amateur Smugmug Stuff | My Blurb book Rust and Whimsy. More Rust , FaceBook .
True around here, too. Also, covered bridges were built with solid timbers in a prior century - and are similarly being plundered for their lumber.:cry
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
http://www.facebook.com/ImagesByCeci
Picadilly, NB, Canada
Thanks for your support, Don.
This old barn may continue to stand for quite some time, as you note. Very likely, though, if the vines continue to consume this thing, you won't be able to see it.
Take care,
Tom
Gallery: http://cornflakeaz.smugmug.com/
Cheers, Richard.
Maybe if you give it a little nudge...
http://www.moose135photography.com
I love coming across these old structures and contemplating when, by whom, and for what purpose they were built. The time of year this was taken really gives the image that extra punch!
Jack
(My real name is John but Jack'll do)
Thanks for the visit, Don.
Take care,
Tom
It's really great to hear from you, Richard.
By the time the wood scavengers swoop upon an old barn, the old place has become pretty much useless in all regards. So the recycling of the materials is probably a good thing. But, as more and more of these old places are torn down, the Appalachians are losing a bit of their charm and character....and a direct tie-in to their past.
Be well,
Tom
Thanks, John, for looking in.
That little entry area at the front left would, I'm sure, go down with a good swift kick.:D
Tom
Hi Jack,
I, too, think about those things you contemplate. An equally compelling thought I have centers around this; at what point do the old structures lose their usefulness....what transpires that prompts the owner to more or less abandon the old barn? I'm sure the answers are as varied as the population of the structures.
Take care my friend,
Tom
Keep posting these--it's one of my favorite DGrin series!
Lauren
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com
Thanks, Lauren. I do appreciate your encouragement. I have, in fact, thought of putting together a book centered around life in the Appalachian high country as seen through my viewfinder. The old barns of the region would certainly be a primary focus of such an effort. It could well be that the barns alone might warrant a separate effort devoted to them exclusively.
When possible, I do ask current landowners about the history of these old barns. It's a little premature to draw solid conclusions across the board but one circumstance does seem to play a dominant role....the passing away of the generation ( s ) that routinely used the structure.
The original farming family would build and utilize the barn. Perhaps the second, or even the third generation of that family would continue the same pattern. Along the way, however, the property would eventually pass to family members....or maybe even " outsiders ".... that would not continue any use of the land that required a barn. And even if farming remained in the picture, the new operators had to build new barns able to meet current demands placed upon them. The stage was set for these old barns to start their final journey.
Interestingly...and it makes sense when you think about it...the old barns closest to the main house fared better than those barns that were situated on some of the outlying areas of the property. Those closest in could serve as extra storage facilities, etc. Those further out fell almost immediately into disuse and into a seemingly irreversible slide to ruin.
Tom
Lauren
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com