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Don(MI) 
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
Points: 3860
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 Topic: This Old Barn- What would you do?
Posted: 13 Jul 2025 at 4:56pm |
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So here's the deal.
Growing up in my neighborhood, I never paid much attention to my Grandfathers Original Farm and Homestead property. He got divorced in the 80's and had to sell the farm, everything, including the farm home and barns. Because of this, I didn't really pay much attention to them and the fact was, when I grew up we went to grandpas other farmstead where he landed years later after everything settled out. That was "Grandpas farm" to me and my sister growing up in the 90's.
Fast forward to Today.
Because of the divorce, The Original home farm had 2 owners since then. The current owner, did put new steel roofs on the smaller barns and kept them up.
But the Original Hip Roof barn, that is on the homestead needs work. The roof is not terrible, but probably needs refastened and new paint. And of course the sides of the barn needs new paint also.
Here's where I'm at.
Because I do really care about family history, If I actually won the lottery I would donate money to the current owner to repaint it and preserve it. I know things don't last forever, and I know it's just a barn. But boy...now that I'm older I would hate to see it fall down because of neglect.
I know barns cost money to repair and fix. And it's probably cheaper to build a new steel Barn for storage. But the history is there. Take a look at these photos below.
Just wishing on my part I guess, that I could actually do something to help. (No I'm not climbing on the roof to repaint it, I would not do well up there).
What would you do? Would you talk to the current owner? See if there was another way to help? Maybe it's all foolishness on my part, just hate seeing another Barn go down over time. Let alone it's the family Barn with history...
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Galatians 5:22-24
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!"
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Don(MI)
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
Points: 3860
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Posted: 13 Jul 2025 at 5:00pm |
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Galatians 5:22-24
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!"
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Don(MI)
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 13 Jul 2025 at 5:03pm |
 Currently Today
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Galatians 5:22-24
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!"
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KMAG
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Joined: 26 May 2020
Location: Elizabethtown,
Points: 679
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Posted: 13 Jul 2025 at 5:19pm |
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Offer your labor to maintain barn - may make a good friend, and save barn.
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Dorix
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Joined: 21 Apr 2020
Location: fox valley
Points: 1027
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Posted: 13 Jul 2025 at 5:38pm |
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Ask them if you can take pictures. Don't get me wrong I like old barns and hate seeing them come down, but if the currant owners aren't keeping them up anything you do will probably only be short term. I wish I had more pictures of the farms my grandparents grew up on.
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DMiller
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
Points: 33648
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Posted: Yesterday at 2:03am |
Great Aunt and Uncle's farm now belongs to their only child, a daughter's girls, Barn has been gone several decades, Great Aunt's home she died in also gone since early 2000s. My Cousin's home was the old Schoolhouse they bought and converted into a Home is still there just mostly empty now where the Girls do come out and stay at times to leave the busy where they currently live behind for a few days.
We have photos of that farm as they do when Great grandfather was staying there in the 1930s as Ben and Mable worked to keep it during the Depression. Grandmother and her other Sisters took tons of photos to make certain everyone of the family remembered those times. I have great memories as was a Youth working on the place, playing on the place and being a part of the Family that enjoyed the Place. Miss all my relatives deeply but time moves around us regardless how hard we attempt to remain in place.
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Ed (Ont)
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Joined: 08 Nov 2009
Location: New Lowell, Ont
Points: 1476
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Posted: Yesterday at 2:36pm |
That was a nice farm back in the day!! 
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
Points: 24567
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Posted: 21 hours 33 minutes ago at 8:21pm |
Talk to the owner, introduce yourself, show him pictures, ask if you could have 1st dibs if he decides to sell..... never hurts to ask.
I've seen 7 of 8 barns 'leave the landscape' near me. Real shame, upsets me and I'm not a farmer......
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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BuckSkin
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Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 834
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Posted: 12 hours 5 minutes ago at 5:49am |
That is a good-looking barn and appears it would be worth saving; however, most people, no matter how pure your intentions, don't like others meddling and resent it.
If you truly want to save the barn, BUY IT.
Not to nitpick; but, it is a very common mistake concerning those style roofs; that is NOT a Hip Roof; it is a Gambrel Roof.
Hip Roofs are those ugly roofs that slope on all sides and are very rarely seen on barns.
Those old barns were built to last; most of the newer metal-sided "pole barns" are very flimsy and won't stand up to even a slight wind.
There is nothing wrong with the metal siding and roofing itself; the problem with most is there is nothing behind the metal.
Flimsy trusses on 4-foot spacing; single-layer plate if any plate at all; Pine posts on 12-foot centers; 4-foot spacing on the stringers; those ridiculous cannon-ball door sliders; it is no wonder that they end up scattered across the neighbor's field after a bit of wind.
Thanks for sharing those old photos; that was a showplace in it's day.
Three things spelled the doom of that style of farming; hot-wire fences, ground-load cattle trailers, and rolled hay.
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BuckSkin
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Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
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Posted: 11 hours 54 minutes ago at 6:00am |
 Don(MI) wrote:
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!". |
"When I was a little bitty boy I wanted a Barlow Knife; now I want little Shady Grove to say she'll be my wife."
You must be an Arthel "Doc" Watson fan; too late now, as he is gone and buried; but, I would walk barefooted from here to Murfreesboro Tennessee to hear Doc Watson play.
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Don(MI)
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 9 hours 37 minutes ago at 8:17am |
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The Ricky Skaggs version with Boston pops is the version I like
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Galatians 5:22-24
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!"
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