The Beginning of the End for the Old Barn - April 29, 2002

Well, it was sad to see Dan come up and start the dismantling process of our old barn today. We all know it had to be done, but its has been a landmark here at the Ranch for the past fifty years. For those who didn't know, the roof mostly collapsed during a very wet and heavy 16 inches of snow we had on March 22, 2000. We looked into repairing the roof, but the beams were to brittle to fix. Replacing the whole roof would have cost more than building a whole new barn. So the barn has to come down. It is not safe to leave it as it is.

So far Dan has gotten the tin and what was left of the rafters down. The Barn is totally roofless now. He is saving all the siding and many of the beams since they are American Chestnut. If you don't understand the significance of this, read an article about it on the Return of the American Chestnut page, under my Appalachian History section. We hope to use much of this VERY valuable wood (I've heard quotes of $7-$9 per linear foot!) in the new structure we are going to build.

So, I decided to get out and take a few last photos while it's still semi recognizable as a barn. In a few more days it will not exist. These images and the few that I'll take in the coming weeks will be a memorial to the venerable old building....