Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Barn Charm: I'll Huff, And I'll Puff...

...And I'll blow your barn down.

Not long after we acquired Le Rustique two years ago, we discovered these standing ruins of an old homestead on the country road that runs south of our road. I took a bunch of pictures of the buildings, because I was sure they would topple over momentarily. [Side Note: Only about a mile away as the crow flies, this terrain is nothing like the terrain of our property. I guess that's the nature of the Ozark Plateau.]
An old homestead. The land is brushed and fenced, but there appears
to be no other activity anywhere near it.
I love the old barn, but it definitely looks precarious.
I think it's square on its rock foundation, but the main structure is a little askew.
Part of the old tin roof looks like it was hit by a meteorite, but I guess it just collapsed
as its underpinnings  lost the battle to neglect.
Last year we experienced some very windy days, a couple of tornado warnings and a night of straight-line winds in excess of 100 mph. In spite of all that huffing and puffing, though, the three structures continued to stand. All my photos following those storms look exactly like these.

Off and on this month the March winds have lived up to their bad-ass hype, though, and the inevitable finally happened.
The old barn stands no more.
It appears that someone has cleared away the tin siding and roof sections, leaving the stone piers and decaying wood to attest that a barn used to live there.
And Missouri loses another barn and a bit of its heritage.
We've been told that this old homestead belonged to the maternal ancestors of the family from whom we bought Le Rustique. That's probably true, because the old dirt road that passes by this land carries their name. I can only wonder how many wind storms it will take to demolish the old house, and eventually the shed.

Linking up with

Barn Charm ♥77♥ over at Bluff Area Daily

Be sure to check out some of the plethora of barns there, many of which are presented by "real" photographers, as opposed to my point-and-shoot method.

19 comments:

  1. Gorgeous shots, Charade! That was a great old barn. Hate to see it blown down, but it that condition it was just a matter of time. Beautiful scenery!

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  2. love the shots but they just really make me sad....glad the foundation still stands though...

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  3. wow, what great shots. love the clouds. (:

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  4. I think your shots are great! I love 'personal' pictures as much (or more) than professional ones.

    Isn't it amazing how the old buildings stand up to so much and some of the newer buildings go down in the first wind?

    Have a great day!

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  5. The winds really do a number on old buildings... I'm happy you were able to capture all three while they were still standing. :)

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  6. Another one bites the dust...and I hate seeing them just disintegrate right before our eyes.

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  7. Great series and story, but I really favor that second to last photo with house to the left - the fence in the front...love the composition!

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  8. It's amazing that you were able to capture the old barn's demise...Obviously, the wind is not old structures friend....

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  9. I love the old barns ... If I lived near there I would want to sneak over and snitch some old barn wood for projects :)

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  10. love the shot w/ the fence in front (sadly, after the barn tumbled). glad you were able to capture it when you did!

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  11. So glad you were able to capture it before it finally gave way to the winds. It was a wonderful old barn!

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  12. it's hearbreaking really but wonderful that some of us still appreciate these old barns/farms.

    beautiful series of pictures!!

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  13. Those are really great shots! It's amazing those structures stood as long as they did. Glad you captured them!

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  14. Sad the barn went down, but wonderful that you captured it while it was still standing.

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  15. It's very sad that the barn is gone forever, but I think it was past the point of possible repair. At least you took some great photos of it beforehand.

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  16. Charade that is so sad. I am glad you were able to get some photos and share them for Barn Charm. Your fourth photo is beautiful with the fence and the old farmhouse even if the old barn is no more. It needs a mat and frame. The clouds! You are in St. Lou! :)

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  17. Ohhh that's heartbreaking for me to see! I really wish it could have been saved... now, I'm wondering about the house, too.
    Too bad!

    Thanks for joining =)

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  18. Lovely shots. I always find this type of decaying homestead a bit sad. There were once families who lived there. Those walls could all tell stories.

    There's an old Victorian farmhouse near me that has slowly caved in. I noticed driving by yesterday that it won't be long before it's a pile of boards. I took photographs a couple of years ago and it was still in fairly good condition. Time can be harsh.

    Noteworthy Musings - Barn Charm #77

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