Blue Skies Red Roof

An old barn graces the Appalachian Mountains in rural North Carolina, the late fall branches decorating the deep blue sky overhead. The rolls of hay... more

by Debra and Dave Vanderlaan

Title

Blue Skies Red Roof

Artist

Debra and Dave Vanderlaan

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

An old barn graces the Appalachian Mountains in rural North Carolina, the late fall branches decorating the deep blue sky overhead. The rolls of hay are put away for the long winter while the old vines of grapes go dormant for another season............

Older barns were usually built from lumber sawn from timber on the farm, although stone barns were sometimes built in areas where stone was a cheaper building material.

Modern barns are more typically steel buildings. Prior to the 1900s, most barns were timber framed (also known as post and beam) forming very strong structures to withstand storms and heavy loads of animal feed. From about 1900 to 1940, many large dairy barns were built in northern USA. These commonly have gambrel or hip roofs to maximize the size of the hay loft above the dairy roof, and have become associated in the popular image of a dairy farm. The barns that were common to the wheatbelt held large numbers of pulling horses such as Clydesdales or Percherons. These large wooden barns, especially when filled with hay, could make spectacular fires that were usually total losses for the farmers. With the advent of balers it became possible to store hay and straw outdoors in stacks surrounded by a plowed fireguard. Many barns in the northern United States are painted barn red with a white trim. One possible reason for this is that ferric oxide, which is used to create red paint, was the cheapest and most readily available chemical for farmers in New England and nearby areas. Another possible reason is that ferric oxide acts a preservative and so painting a barn with it would help to protect the structure.

With the popularity of tractors following World War II many barns were taken down or replaced with modern Quonset huts made of plywood or galvanized steel. Beef ranches and dairies began building smaller loftless barns often of Quonset huts or of steel walls on a treated wood frame (old telephone or power poles).

Uploaded

November 23rd, 2012