365 Days of Ohio Barns and Farms

DAY 101 - Greenin' Up

2009-04-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

DAY 100 - Firewood

2009-04-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

DAY 99 - Another Windmill

2009-04-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

DAY 98 - Barnyard Cows

2009-04-02T16:46:00.001-07:00

DAY 97 - Windmill

2009-04-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Windmill powers a pump that brings water up from the well.

DAY 96 - Just Over the Hill

2009-03-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

DAY 95 - Amish Horse Power

2009-03-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

DAY 94 - The Feed Store

2009-03-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Feed store in Charm, Ohio

DAY 93 - Better Days

2009-03-27T08:07:00.001-07:00

DAY 92 - Quilt Barn

2009-03-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

DAY 91 - Time to Plow Those Fields

2009-03-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Draft horses taking a rest from plowing in Amish Country

DAY 90 - Empty farm shed

2009-03-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

DAY 89 - Cattle Crossing

2009-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

DAY 88 - Shadows in the Pasture

2009-02-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

DAY 87 - Old Farm House

2009-02-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

DAY 86 - Barn Full of Hay

2009-02-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

DAY 85 - Got Your Goat

2009-02-16T04:41:00.001-08:00

DAY 84 - Say Cheese

2009-02-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

DAY 83 - Big Feet

2009-02-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

DAY 82 - Old Shed

2009-02-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

DAY 81 - Baaaaaaaaa

2009-02-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hope this guy's woolen coat is keeping him warm -- it was really cold out when I took this picture.

DAY 80 - Empty Corn Crib

2009-02-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

DAY 79 - Martin House

2009-02-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Martin House with satellite TV!

DAY 78 - Snowy Landscape

2009-02-03T16:42:00.001-08:00

DAY 77 - Old Green Barn

2009-02-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

DAY 76 - Hungry Cows

2009-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Chow time for the cows. . .

DAY 75 - Hay Bale Holder

2009-01-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

This contraption holds those huge round hay bales so cows and horses can eat the hay -- instead of walking through it, sleep in it, spreading it all over the field, and other unmentionable things.

DAY 74 - Old Cattle Barn

2009-01-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

DAY 73 - Lunch Time

2009-01-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here's what those big round bales of hay are used for

DAY 72 - Wrapped Up Tight

2009-01-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

More round hay bales, wrapped up tight to keep the hay dry.

DAY 71 - Hay Hay Hay

2009-01-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

DAY 70 - Hanby Farms

2009-01-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

Grain Elevators

DAY 69 - Another Cold Day

2009-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

Cold - Cold - Cold

DAY 68 - Snow-Covered Pasture

2009-01-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

DAY 67 - Just over the Hill

2009-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

DAY 66 -- Quarter Horse

2009-01-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

DAY 65 - Hungry Cow

2009-01-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

DAY 64 - Old Round Corn Crib

2009-01-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

DAY 63 - Lightening Rods

2009-01-07T05:05:00.000-08:00

DAY 62 - Cattle Barn

2009-01-06T13:42:00.001-08:00

DAY 61 - Cattle Crossing

2009-01-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

DAY 60 - Peekaboo

2009-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

DAY 59 - A Little Drafty

2009-01-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

DAY 58 - Red Barn

2009-01-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

DAY 57 - Hanby Farms Grain Elevators

2009-01-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

DAY 56 - Horses for Sale

2008-12-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

DAY 55 - Wreaths on Barn Doors

2008-12-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

This decorated barn belongs to the hay bale reindeer from yesterday's blog.

DAY 54 - Christmas Reindeer

2008-12-23T13:21:00.001-08:00

Finally, a new posting to my barn blog. I've been very remiss in posting -- just haven't had the time to drive out into the country to search for winter barn shot. But I thought this would work -- this farmer has turned one of those huge round bales of hay into a reindeer for Christmas. Around Thanksgiving, it was a turkey.

DAY 53 - Another Old Farm

2008-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Landscapes look so bare and bleak now that the trees have dropped their leaves.

DAY 52 -- Big Farm House and Silo

2008-11-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

I just love big old farm houses. . .

DAY 51 - Better Days

2008-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

This group of farm buildings has certainly seen better days.

DAY 50 - Through the Woods

2008-11-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

Literally over the river and through the woods. . .

DAY 49 - What is it?

2008-11-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm really not sure what this piece of farm machinery is. . . any ideas??

DAY 48 - Old Tractor

2008-11-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Every old farm needs an old tractor. . .

DAY 47 - Another Old Barn

2008-11-18T13:00:00.001-08:00

We took this shot earlier this fall before the leaves turned and fell. The arrangement of the windows on the side wall seems a little strange to me.

DAY 46 - Corn Field with Red Barn

2008-11-17T14:59:00.000-08:00

Three days in a row of cold and dreary, rain and now snow. This old barn overlooks a cornfield in need of harvesting. I'm not sure what the story is on the little rounded structure on the left.

DAY 45 - Old Everett Barn

2008-11-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Another gray, cold day. It was spitting snow this morning -- a tad of accumulation is expected tonight.

DAY 44 - Rainy Day on the Farm

2008-11-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Gray, wet, dreary day today. . .

DAY 43 - The Hayfields Are Brown Now

2008-11-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

The hay fields are browning now -- first snow of the season is expected tomorrow. Summer goes by so fast. . .

DAY 42 - One Big Barn

2008-11-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

What do you think? How many times has this barn been added onto?

DAY 41 - Gentle Giants

2008-11-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Amish draft horses in Holmes County

DAY 40 - Look Up

2008-11-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

The roofs on these old barns are interesting -- patterned shingles, cupolas, lightening rods -- such character. . .

DAY 39 - Weather Vane

2008-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, a new looking barn. It seems like so many of the barns in the area are old and in need of repair and paint. Now, don't get me wrong. . . I really like the character of those vintage barns. But this one with the bright red roof, little cupola, and weather vane was a breath of fresh air.

DAY 38 - Old Tractors

2008-11-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we happened by a display of old farm equipment at this 4-story barn outside of Dresden.

DAY 37 - Pumpkins Anyone?

2008-11-08T07:18:00.001-08:00

This farm we passed by the week before Halloween still had two big wagonloads of pumpkins and gourds for sale.

DAY 36 - Hay Hay Hay

2008-11-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

This farmer's ready for winter with his rows of plastic-wrapped hay bales.

DAY 35 - Perry's Ponderosa

2008-11-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

This white barn has a sign on it for "Perry's Ponderosa."

DAY 34 - The Roof

2008-11-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

You have to look hard, but you can still find some of the patterned roofs on old barns in the area.

DAY 33 - Lightning Rods

2008-11-04T04:16:00.000-08:00

I don't think the plethora of lightning rods are really necessary on this poor old barn any more.

DAY 32 - Power Lines

2008-11-03T05:44:00.000-08:00

This old barn sits up on the hill just down the road from us. The power lines snake up the hill, almost like a spiderweb. Not too many leaves left on these old trees. . .

DAY 31 - Combining

2008-11-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

There's a tractor and combine hidden in this shot -- so much dust is expelled when harvesting this grain field that you can barely see them.

DAY 30 - Ivy's brown now

2008-11-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

This old barn is looking pretty bare now that the frost has killed the ivy leaves.

DAY 29 - Cornfields Are Dry Now

2008-10-31T04:40:00.000-07:00

The cornfields are brown and dry now, trees are getting bare. . . winter's a'coming.

DAY 28 - Farm Silos

2008-10-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Three farm silos in Amish country

DAY 27 - Trees Don't Look Like This Now

2008-10-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

I shot this picture in September, before the trees changed color. The only green now are the pinetrees, the other trees are on their way to their winter bareness.

DAY 26 - 4-Story Barn

2008-10-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

This 4-story barn sits in an open field off of Routes 16 and 60, north of Dresden. The day we were there they were having a big farm show with lots of old farm and construction machinery.

DAY 25 - Out House

2008-10-27T05:49:00.001-07:00

This old out house off to the side of a newer garage caught my eye on this farm. I love the little tractor and trailor yard decoration on the retaining wall.

DAY 24 - Old Mail Pouch Barn

2008-10-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is another of the area's aging barns with the Mail Pouch advertising. This is second generation advertising; look closely, and you'll see the older, faded advertising above the new lettering. This barn is on Rt. 40 East, between New Concord and Norwich.

DAY 23 - Why are so many barns red?

2008-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why so many older barns are painted red. I did a little googling, and here's what I found out:

If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.

Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay. Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.

As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used.

Thanks to http://people.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm for the info.

DAY 22 - Harness racing horse barn

2008-10-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

Harness racing carts rest against the horse barn at the Muskingun County Fair Grounds.

DAY 21 - Brownsville barn

2008-10-23T04:31:00.001-07:00

Another red barn off one of those little country roads in Licking County. Do you ever wonder why so many barns are painted red?

DAY 20 - Another Amish Farm Complex

2008-10-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

This Amish farm complex is outside of Berlin in Holmes county. Many times, Amish farms will have several houses in which families reside -- the patriarchs in the big house, and married children with their families in others.

DAY 19 - Old Farm House in the Fall

2008-10-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Big old farm house in Morgan county -- don't you love the trees!

DAY 18 - Amish draft horses

2008-10-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

The day's work was done for these magnificent draft horses on an Amish farm in Holmes county.

DAY 17 - Old Silo

2008-10-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

This old silo sits on the edge of a corn field. There's nothing around it but fields. If there had been a barn close by, it's long gone now.

DAY 16 - Better Days

2008-10-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

This old barn has seen better days. I'm not sure what that is in front of it -- what do you think??

DAY 15 Old Barn on the Corner

2008-10-16T04:51:00.000-07:00

I pass this old barn whenever I drive into town. As I've noticed with alot of old barns in the area, it needs a good coat of paint, some new windows, and other repairs. But, you know, it just has a certain character as it is that paint would erase.

day 14 - Red Horse Barn

2008-10-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

This horse barn sets of the road south of Zanesville. There's a little track area in front where kids practice on their horses. I believe it was called Star's Arena, but that sign is gone now.

DAY 13 - What a Sky. . .

2008-10-14T05:15:00.000-07:00

Old barn in southern Muskingum County

DAY 12 - Morgan County Barn in the Fall

2008-10-13T15:51:00.001-07:00

We took a long ride Saturday into the hills of Morgan county. Lovely, lovely day -- sunny and warm. Fall color is almost at its peak.

DAY 11 -- What might this farm raise?

2008-10-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

DAY 10 - Not Too Much Left

2008-10-10T05:12:00.001-07:00

What's left of this old barn is on a little country road in Brownsville. I guess it blocked the view of the pond from the house!

DAY 9 - Wash Day

2008-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

It was wash day on the Saturday we passed by this Amish farm in Holmes County. Their laundry gets hung out every season of the year, even in the dead of winter.

DAY 8 - Fairfield County Farm

2008-10-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's more striking -- the barn and red farm wagons or the gorgeous sky!

DAY 7 - Barn with concrete silo

2008-10-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

This old barn is on the way to Dresden, home of Longaberger Baskets.

DAY 6 - A Silo or Two or Three. . .

2008-10-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

What's a big farm without a few silos. . .

DAY 5 - Adamsville Barn

2008-10-02T04:00:00.001-07:00

This old barn is out on a little country road in Adamsville, Ohio. Those are huge round bales of hay behind the barn. Their cows won't go hungry this winter!

DAY 4 - Holmes County Amish Farm

2008-10-01T04:06:00.000-07:00

Holmes County in north central Ohio is the heart of Ohio's Amish country. NE Ohio has a large Amish population, too, but Holmes county is better at marketing! This is one of the many, many big Amish farms. It's just outside of Berlin (accent on the "Ber", not like the German city).

DAY 3 - Old Red Barn

2008-09-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

This old barn overlooks a lush field of corn, probably field corn.

DAY 2 - So Many Windows

2008-09-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

This old barn is on State Route 40, west of Zanesville. It sits up on a hill and certainly draws your attention when you drive by.