The Barn Collective

 I'm cheating today. I found the link to this great story on Facebook just this evening. It's found on  John Kucko Digital (that's "cutch-ko"). Apparently he showcases an area farm or barn each Friday. (Who knew?) Very fascinating. I hope he doesn't mind me sharing.

November 28- "End of an Era: Happening right now—this 1890 barn is being leveled due to very poor condition. I have driven by this place here in WNY every day for the last 27 years. Something told me to stop on my way into work and actually take a few winter images. I was stunned to see guys tearing the barn down, had no idea this was going on. The property was recently in foreclosure and the new owner was told by the bank that the dilapidated barn had to be down by this Friday. Among the beautiful finds here—a stunning indoor wood silo (bottom right) which the owner will try and salvage. The stone foundation will be saved and a new barn will be built here, using a small portion of the wood from the old barn. This was a dairy farm in Penfield, NY back in the day and the barn had been neglected for decades. One can imagine how spectacular this was back in the late 1800’s. It’s sad to see this and makes me appreciate, even more, the barns of that era that remain intact."

November 29- "End of an Era (Part II): Happening now, this 1890 barn in Penfield, NY is being leveled due to major deterioration over the last few decades. First posted about this yesterday and heard from many of you. As you can see, much work has been done in the last 24 hours with more to go. The new owner acquired the foreclosed property and was told by the bank that the barn had to be gone by tomorrow. I have driven by this, once grand, dairy barn every day for the last 27 years and can vouch for how poor the condition was, a gaping hole in the roof for years didn’t help matters. The owner will re-purpose as much of the original wood as he can as he builds a new barn in the same spot, the stone foundation will remain. A hidden gem was discovered inside the structure that’s still standing, a wood silo which will be saved (will do separate post on silo, it’s amazing). It’s a sad reality with these barns when they’re ignored for years and, as noted yesterday, makes me appreciate—even more—the old barns still standing with their integrity intact."

November 29- "End of an Era (Part III): An absolutely amazing find in this 1890 barn here in WNY that is being leveled due to deterioration. Inside, a wooden silo was discovered—these are very rare anymore. I have talked with two local farmers, whose farms have been around for a combined 300 years, and both tell me this is extremely unusual. This silo was likely last used anywhere from 50-60 years ago, maybe longer. The silo had straw in it, which ended up preserving the wood—taking the moisture out of it. It was completely inside the barn structure, never visible from the outside. As noted in previous posts, this barn was once a dairy farm back in the day. The new owner took possession of this foreclosed property in Penfield, NY and will save the silo, sparing it from destruction. He is determined to salvage as much wood from the original barn as possible and use it to build a new barn on the original stone foundation. Per orders from the bank, the barn had to be taken down by the end of this week. I can attest that it was in awful shape, likely beyond repair. Amidst the rubble, a gem was unearthed and this silo will survive...and thrive. Very cool!"

Don't forget to stop by and visit Tom at The Barn Collective.