In the fall snow fences are erected along the perimeter of the the farmhouse, barns and outbuildings. This serves as a windbreak and allows the snow to drift up against the fence, leaving the buildings accessible. In the spring these fences are rolled up and stored till the following year.
This small barn, which stands forty miles west of here is atypical. It's the only barn I've seen in northern Illinois with a hex sign. This is not merely painted on, but a decoration cut from wood. It's a very small and beautiful structure, with almost a delicate feeling next to the behemoth dairy and hay barns. I'm always in awe of the beauty of some of these strictly utilitarian buildings.
3 comments:
Beautiful.
Being from Ohio and having many, many relatives from Pennsylvania, I grew up with these symbols. I had no idea they were fairly rare around here.
It's gorgeous. I didn't know that about the fences!
When I was a kid, the township road crews used to put up snow fences along certain stretches of roads. They don't do that anymore. But then there isn't as much wide open farm land anymore.
And hex signs on barns are beautiful.
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