Thursday, June 14, 2018

A Weathered Barn Story

A while back I got to thinking about a silent movement taking place in America. In order to confirm my suspicion, I took a short drive to the outskirts of the tiny town of Portland, in north central Tennessee, about thirty miles north of Hendersonville. I turned my car down a narrow country road where fields of vegetables and hay are harvested every year. Below is the barn I was in search of taken back in 2016. It was still in its original condition, minus a plank here or there, sitting in the middle of a farm field bringing charm and beauty to the landscape around it.


Below is the same barn two years later as I photographed it a few weeks ago. Notice the distinct difference in the appearance of that beautiful, old weathered structure?


A barn wood trend has taken over the remodeling industry and especially in middle Tennessee. Barn wood doors, barn wood tables and more are all the rage. I thought perhaps a storm had come through partially destroying it. However, there's another barn right across the street from this one with whole sections missing. The barn wood trend has reached out and stripped these two old structures of their original form. I pray this trend doesn't take out all of our vintage barns dotting the landscape. They bring such charm to our surroundings. I love to drive down an old country road and look over to see an old weathered barn sitting in the middle of a field. Who doesn't love that. I wanted to share this story as I knew before I took that drive to capture new images of that old barn that I might find it in a different condition. Time changes everything, but only if we let it. ENJOY!

3 comments :

  1. I hope whoever came and STOLE the wood from the barn has remorse, and is caught at some stage. How could anyone do that, no matter the age, or condition of the barn and timber. Old barns have that special feeling about them, and the story that lies inside, we might never know, but there will be a lot of tales hidden in the rafters, I am so glad you did have the first photo, when the barn showed off its true colours.

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    1. Thanks Jean. I love these old barns and they add such charm to our landscape. If we were to take away all of them, I know we would all miss them. Carol

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  2. It is a great pity that owners allow these structures to fall into such disrepair but I guess the cost is often prohibitive.

    We have been watching a US TV show 'Barnwood Builders' for some time where Mark Bowe and his crew from West Virginia salvage antique barns and cabins and then repurpose the wood creating stunning new homes.

    BTW it is not very cool over here … we are experiencing the longest June heatwave for many years.

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