The year 1912 has been painted at the peak of the barn roof as long as we remember...
That was the year that our house and barn were built, on fifty acres that once were part of a neighboring farm. We don't have all the records, but we know that numerous families lived here before Jim's grandparents purchased the farm. The original owner was a man with the last name of Weaver.
In the early 1940's, when Jim's dad Lloyd was six years old, his parents purchased and moved here to the farm. (When we removed wallpaper in the kitchen in 2006, we found writing on the plaster wall that mentioned them buying the farm!)
When the family moved to the farm, Jim's Grandpa built the first silo. This picture, which came from Jim's grandmother, has no date on it, but judging by the looks of the vehicles in the driveway, and the fact that there is only one silo, it must have been soon after they moved here...
This second picture, also from Jim's grandmother, was probably taken about ten years later. Again, there is no date on the picture, but there is now a second silo at the corner of the barn.
Jim's grandparents made some structural changes to the barn...they enclosed the fore-bay to enlarge the cow stable...they added some box pens to the west side of the barn and they replaced the stalls in the cow stable. They also built a milk house, where the milk was stored until it could be delivered to the dairy. Those were the major structural changes that were made, and we haven't made too many more ourselves, other than add some feed bins inside the barn and put in some vents to help cool and ventilate the barn in the summer.
One major thing that has changed over the years, though, is the method in which the cows are milked, the milk stored, and how it is transported to the dairy. I've asked Jim's Dad to write about that, so stay tuned for another story from a guest blogger...hopefully soon!
While things inside the barn haven't changed much, I do see a lot of things on these pictures outside the barn, that have! That white wooden fence around the garden area must have been fairly new then...it's the same fence that we just replaced with PVC a year ago! The size of the garden is now much smaller! and the tobacco shed below the garden is now gone...Jim remembers it blowing down in a storm when he was a boy. We've added a couple of outside storage sheds, a chicken coop, had the barn repainted two years ago, and of course there are trees in different places now...
I am fascinated by the huge beams inside the barn. Apparently the original owner was involved in a lumber mill, had access to good quality materials, and built a solid structure. There are a few places where you can see how wooden pegs were used instead of nails...
There were several ladders built into the hay mows...
I like this old latch on the granary door...
And the original barn roof is still in place...
I've written before about the barn roof...it's made with Peach Bottom Slate, a high quality slate that came from a local quarry. A good quality roof that is kept in good repair can last a very long time!
The stories that could be told are endless...Jim's Dad grew up here...Jim has lived here almost all his life... and now our children are the fourth generation to live and work on this farm. While our farm might be "young" as compared to some in this area, I think it's fun to think about the last 100 years, hear some stories, and wonder about the stories that will remain untold..."Who lived here before?"..."Who drew those pictures in the granary?"..."What was that room in the attic used for?", etc.
