206 Years

Here's the story as I heard it. For their 200th anniversary in 2003, the state of Ohio commissioned an artist to go around and paint a commemorative logo on the side of one barn in each county in the state, for a total of 88 barns. Well, such a project took a number of years, but the artist started early and got one barn done in each county before the actual anniversary. Unfortunately, one barn was destroyed by a tornado after being painted but before the anniversary. He later went back and painted a second barn in that county, but none of that really matters. I just wanted to show you a picture of one of those barns. I spotted this on the side of SR 4, a few miles north of Marysville in Union County. It took me quite a bit of searching to find out exactly where I was when I took this picture, actually. I saw one other of the barns, but it was from the interstate, and I was going to fast to safely stop and take a picture. Maybe next time. I know there are a couple not to far from where I stay when I visit Ohio, so Maybe I'll make it a point of shooting some others when I go next time.

Not So Little Red Barn

There seem to be lots of red barns on the side of the road here in Ohio, at least once you get out into the country. I spotted this one just outside of Kent. It seems to be in pretty good shape, and obviously someone is taking good care of the field around it.

The Old Barn

I used to enjoy going out and taking pictures of this barn. Then one day I came around the corner and it was gone. Completely gone. No pile of rubble, no old posts sticking out of the ground, nothing. I don't know if it fell over and they took it away or if it got bulldozed or maybe they moved it somewhere for restoration. I know I wasn't the only one who stopped to take pictures of it, though, so maybe somebody out there knows what happened. The field is still there, but it's for sale, last time I checked. Anyhow, this was on US 41, just a wee bit south of I-275. Trust me, the area is not as developed as that location may make it sound. I guess the nearest city is Palmetto, or maybe Ellenton. No sure...

Bye Bye Barn

No, it's not November of 2004 again. This is just a nice picture from the calendar back then that shows the old barn I want to tell you about. This little barn was the subject of quite a few pictures over the years, both by me and by countless others who I saw pulled over along the side of the road to shoot it. But when I drove by the field the other day, the barn was gone. I don't know what happened to it. There wasn't any sign of a fire or a pile of debris in the field. There was no construction going on that might indicate the property had been sold for development. I know I've been by there since the end of the most recent hurricane season, and it was still standing then. I'm hoping maybe someone took it away to restore it, and someday it'll be placed back out in it's natural habitat. Not only is this small barn attractive, it is a great example of a unique Florida architectural invention, the hundred-acre barn. Since we don't have cold winters here in Florida, you never have to worry about fitting all of your cows into the barn at one time. So this barn was developed to meet the needs of the local farmers, being just large enough to store the necessary supplies for a farm that was, well, 100 acres in size.

If anyone knows what happened to this barn, which was located near the intersection of US 41 and I-275 north of Palmetto, FL, please drop me a line. I'm going to miss it. Even before I started taking pictures, I drove by it and thought how picturesque it was.

The Last Little Bit Of February

Another week, another photo. We're back in Ohio this week with a quaint barn I stumbled across while slightly lost. I think this was somewhere off 303, but I'm not sure. That dome you see near the center of the roof is actually a silo behind the barn. I think the unique roof shape is due to the need for it to shed snow in the winter. We certainly don't see barns of this shape in Florida. (Hmmm, I seem to have shared this picture before in a different format...)

Down On The Farm

The countryside up in Ohio is dotted with little farms and barns like this one. I spotted this barn while I was lost and trying to get back to a place I was familiar with. I knew I had to stop and get a quick shot though. I pulled off the road and it felt like my van was about to roll over. The shoulders on the roads up there are much steeper than what I am used to here in Florida, and I was afraid my weight was all that was keeping the van from rolling over or sliding down into the bottom of the ditch. But I survived and got the shot to boot. The dome near the center of the roof up there is actually a silo behind the barn. I couldn't get around to that side to get a shot, especially with it being on the shaded side of the building.