Page 4 - March 2022

Publisher’s Corner

The American Barn: A Disappearing Icon journalofantiques.com

Publisher
Maxine Carter-Lome
ravel our country’s backroads and no doubt your linseed oil, milk, lime, and rust. journalofantiques@gmail.com
view will include time-forgotten, weathered-worn Linseed oil comes from flax plants Maxine Carter-Lome
Tbarns, enduring symbols of America’s earliest and acts like a sealant. The oil stains Business Manager
settlement history. the barn wood an orange, reddish color. Iron oxide, or Jeffrey Lome
Once one of the most important structures on a rust, prevents fungi from growing on the wood and turns jeffrey@journalofantiques.com
homestead, built to protect animals and crops, assets the paint mixture a deep red color. When paint became Managing Editor
central to a homeowner’s existence, today, these barns more affordable and available, many people continued to Judy Gonyeau
can be found in various stages of use and neglect, more choose red, contributing to the tradition of red barns editorial.journalofantiques@gmail.com
valuable for the nostalgia they evoke and their Americana across America. Art Director
imagery than the storage items they now house; however. By the start of the second world war, the need for and
That’s changing as fans of American Pickers and collectors purpose of a barn had changed with the sharp decline in Lynn Cotterman
everywhere can attest. “Barnstorming” has become the the number of American family farms. No longer needed ads@journalofantiques.com
fun, new way to unearth collectible finds and bring to house the grain, crops, and animals essential to the Production
these fresh pickings to an antiques-turned-Americana farm’s existence and the homeowner’s livelihood, these
marketplace. barns were left to decay, along with the long-forgotten Lynn Cotterman
When rural life in America dominated, barns varied in contents left inside. Judy Gonyeau
style and purpose, yet each was built with common sense, At some point in the first half of the 20th century, Jill Montague-Kaitbenski
a specific intent, and economy, says Howard P. Mock, a barns went from a structure of necessity to the family and
Chicago-based architect and preservationist. property’s storage facility for the used, broken, obsolete,
“The types of barns that were built varied based on discarded, found, and outgrown. Old furniture, project 508-347-1960
the settler’s country of origin. People brought their ideas cars, collected items, obsolete farm tools, military trunks, Toll free:
from their home country and that was what they built in household appliances … As a result, generations of history 888-698-0734
America.” This practice was rooted in the fact that there and artifacts lay untouched and forgotten, sealed inside
were no blueprints or guidebooks for building barns. crumbling historic structures overrun by nature. Fax: 508-347-0911
Knowledge of barn-building passed from generation to Interest in these over-run and decaying barns as more Mailing:
generation, and people built what they knew from their than a passing, tangible contribution to the vernacular P. O. Box 950
heritage when they came to this country to start a new landscape began to change as we entered the 21st century Sturbridge, MA 01566
life. However, as Mock points out, the farm’s geographic with a renewed appreciation for Americana, “things
location resulted in certain necessary adaptations that associated with the culture and history of America.” info@journalofantiques.com
made their ultimate design, uniquely American. Pickers/collectors of early Americana love coming across
Just as barn designs varied based upon where their and rooting through old barns. As many an episode of UPS and FedEx
builders came from, and were often adapted based American Pickers can attest, you never know what you Shipping Address:
46 Hall Road
upon geography and practicality, they were also sized to will find! We share some of these “barn finds” and the Sturbridge, MA 01566
accommodate purpose. For example, says Mock, barns stories behind them in this issue. We also take a look at
that were built to house cows and store hay in a hayloft the history of barn auctions, get a tutorial on barn quilts, Journal of
were larger than those that housed sheep or goats or were and learn more about Colonial Era barns and the Round Antiques and Collectibles
built for storing specific crops. Barn at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA. is published monthly in digital
Another element many of these old barns have in While interest in the stored contents to be found in and bi-monthly in print by
common, and what makes them so symbolic, is the barns is leading more brave souls to go where no one has Weathervane Enterprises, Inc.
color red. gone for sometimes 50 years or more, there is still the 46 Hall Road
Originally, barns just kept their wooden exteriors. issue of what to do with the barn structure itself. Sturbridge MA 01566.
Painting them seemed like a waste of time and money. Demolish it? Restore and re-envision it as a venue, studio,
Paint became a necessity, however, as farmers began to or home? Dismantle and move it for restoration at a new Periodicals postage paid at
look for a way to protect the wood. Wooden barns need location? Salvage the wood and elements for re-purposed Sturbridge MA.
to be protected and sealed from the weather, insects, and projects? All of these options are in play today, proof of
other elements that damage structural integrity. Red the enduring popularity of the American barn and our
paint became popular because of its functionality and desire to reclaim, restore, and collect items and stories POSTMASTER:
cost-effectiveness. Having a darker color on the barn’s from our past. Send address changes to
exterior attracts more sunlight and keeps the inside The Journal of Antiques
warmer in the winter. Some people believed red barns and Collectibles
would also help prevent cows from getting lost. ISSN: (1539-5618)
Up until the late 19th century, paint options and P.O. Box 950
building materials were limited, so farmers would make Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher Sturbridge, MA 01566
their own paint from cheap, everyday products such as
The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
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