Just west of here on Route 38 is Josie's Antiques. This is a wonderful spot to spend an hour or two looking at antiques and enjoying the fresh air on her farm. There are several building filled in interesting finds.
This is the historic 1839 barn. I've been here many times including times when winter is still in force and believe me these unheated buildings are very cold. They've draped huge sheets of plastic to cut down on the winter wind that blows through the space.
As I stepped inside the barn again today I became aware of my feeling about these barns. To me they are sacred spaces. These barns keep families alive. They housed the livestock that worked to till the land and harvest the crops. It housed cows that provided milk and chickens and pigs that fed the families.
Yes, this barn now houses antiques and that is full sized furniture in the main space. That will give you some idea of the scale of these barns. Those timbers are huge and I even doubt if any timber growth in North America would match their girth.
I never tire of standing inside a barn, of hearing the wind rush through. It's occurred to me many times that the architecture reminds me of a cathedral.
13 comments:
Sacred Spaces. That's it!! Perfect description.
Have you ever seen an Amish barn raising? So very cool.
Absolutely beautiful!
A cathedral was the first thing I thought of, too. Beautiful, airy and bright, with nice spots of dark and quiet. Great pic!
beautiful photo and you words echoed my own sentiments.
I envy my husband's family...their original homestead is still family owned. The barn built by my husband's great-great-Grandfather still stands near LaMoille. (I shared pics and story on my creative writing blog, along with some shots and musings on the Franklin Creek Heritage Village a few posts earlier.
http://www.xanga.com/gemstatemom if you wanna see another beautiful barn.
What an amazing barn and collection!! Beautiful photo!!
blessings,
kari & kijsa
I wish more folks would appreciate barns, and your blog may give them that perspective to do so. Another gorgeous photo.
What a perfect place to spend an afternoon!
This intrigued me so much, I googled it to find out where it was. It looks like it would make a wonderful day trip. (I live in Zion, in the northeast corner of the state, so I'm probably just two hours away.)
This image reminds me of the wonderful barn raising scene in the movie Witness.
Suzanne, your blog is beautiful!!! I've been reading and reading and I have to pause to comment. Look at this barn!! I had to enlarge the picture to see all the stuff inside. I'm salivating right now. It's all so good!!
I could spend days in places like this. I'm weird in that I have to touch it all. So much history and so many stories.
Okay, back to reading....
Just beautiful! Amazing barn and antiques!
That is absolutely beautiful! What state are you in? Love it!
Have a blessed weekend!
smiles, kari & kijsa
Amazing ... nice post. Love your cathedral ... lol.
Fantastic! You probably allready are familier with him, but Eric Sloane was an author and artist that painted many old barns and sheds. His book, "An Age of Barns" is one of my favorites. The house my wife and I live in was completly framed with timbers from a barn here in Maine. It's easy to get lost in thought when you think about, "What was the man like who took his adz to these timbers to square them up?" or "Where were these trees felled, Who cut them down?"
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