Historic barns: the big vanishing act

Here's an interesting read from NPR about the state of many historic barns across the country and efforts to preserve them.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/01/492117376/your-dilapidated-barn-is-super-trendy-just-ask-hgtv

Sadly, preservation is financially beyond many farmers, so these old beauties are vanishing at an alarming rate.
Take a look at the map at the end of this piece for a sense the numbers of historic barns left in the midwest and elsewhere.
Read it and you'll see why this blog exists: if we can't save these old structures--and it looks like we lose way more than we save--the least we can do is preserve them visually.
The barn below is located near Galena. I made the image a few years ago, but I recently reimagined it as a black and white, with the actual barn left in color.

Thanks to all those who attend our recent book signing and photo exhibit at This Old Book in downtown Grayslake, Ill.
It was great to meet  new friends and catch up with  old ones.
If you missed it, there's good news: copies of "Wisconsin Barns," as well as four framed and six matted images from the book will be available at the bookstore.
Follow the link to more info about this great store.
As usual, watch this space for more images of our beloved barns. Or you can visit the Barn Gallery at Ernest J. Schweit Photography





 

Changing things up a bit, we recently went back and unearthed this image we took while traveling through New England a couple years back.
Wife, Mo, and I, stayed at an old barn my brother in law, Dean, and his wife, Jo, have transformed into a studio and home. It's an amazing place. Here's a view we found one morning just walking around the property.
The treatment above the door, the weathered wood and varying angels drew me to the scene.
We added  some sepia toning to give it an old time feel.
If I look at it long enough, I can almost see an old farmer opening the door and trudging off in the early morning light to milk the cows.