1819 "BEACON" BARN

1819 Rockcastle Homestead Barn

When I lived in Kentucky I was taken in by the spirit of barns. They represented so much of our rural heritage and our past personal individualism. Central Kentucky still has many of these ancient barns crouched on the land. The barns seem to speak to many folks -- as they fly by on the road in their vehicles -- saying to them  "remember when." 

Log granary section of 1819 barn

Vintage barns are like genes -- all different. Built by folks that toiled on the land yet had a certain freedom that is not known today. The above 1819 barn began as a log granary and as the farm grew, plank board additions were added.  The final barn was a "beacon" of a coming together within a family to produce the best they could.

1819 barn --  Plank Board Door

Strength and endurance paid off. No rules and regulations to tell them what they could do with their land. No federal fees to pay or forms to fill out if one wanted to grow organically and no corporate overseers of your farm.  No animals with white tags punched in their ears. Not in the early years. 

1819 Barn --  Tin  Roof

Hundreds of "beacon" barns still stand in Kentucky. Many of them alone and decaying. And yet  they have many stories to tell us. If only we would take the time to listen to them.

LIGHTROOM PAINTING OF EARLY 1800s HOUSE

Mixed in among farm outbuildings is this early Appalachian 1800s house form -- it was probably once the main building on this farm. Now it sits picturesquely near the road behind a wire fence -- its limestone rock chimney decaying as is the rest of the house. Now painted black over a metal exterior such vernacular house forms are rarely seen as I travel about Central Kentucky.  

A PLACE CALLED WACO

Early 1900s postcard of Waco, Kentucky,

While heading down route 52 in Madison County, Kentucky toward an old pottery I  spotted a town from the past. When I say town I guess I mean -- place -- sort of a four corners. 

Before I could think straight I was pulling into a parking spot behind one of the old buildings in town. I jumped out of my truck and started snapping photos of an old general store type of building. It looked original to when it was built.

The present proprietor, Garnette Davis, soon came out of the store and I had to explain to him what I was doing. He was very hospitable after I told him I liked to record folkways. He  invited me inside to give me a lowdown on all the old buildings that sat at or near the four corners -- all of them original to the postcard he gave me of the town taken in the early 1900s. Even his general store (third building from the left in the postcard) was in the photo sitting on its corner with the same form it has today. 

The back of this former general store, now called Davis Hidden Treasures, had an old addition with a nice set of original double doors. 

Preserved in situ, Waco's commercial buildings offered me about six old original commercial buildings to photograph. It was quite a find!


With the postcard in hand and comparing it to what I could view with my eyes I figured that there were about nine or ten commercial buildings when the postcard was produced --  compared to about six extant ones now.  


No development of note has come to Waco's four corners. It remains in a time warp of the early 1900s. 


This was a day I stepped back in time.

VINTAGE ARCHITECTURAL NATIVE LIMESTONE ROCK

 Hand chiseled ends on large limestone stairs
 Lancaster, Kentucky

As one visits the towns and rural areas  of  central Kentucky you are likely to bypass many beautiful stairs that were designed for households and commercial establishments from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. More than likely you wouldn't notice them -- as stairs are just stairs -- right? 

However, the stairs that you see in my photos above and below all have a connection to the social and economic history of the area. I think a pretty interesting one.

Limestone steps to a historic home in Lancaster, Kentucky

The vintage stairs shown are made out of native limestone that  was found in either local rock outcroppings in fields, creek beds or in small quarries. 

Native limestone contributed an important and respectful architectural material to the area's settlement era.  One can still find an abundance of vintage limestone rock being used for walls, fences, chimneys, foundations, stairs,  housing, sidewalks and other building configurations.

It was a major building material in and around central Kentucky and to accomplish this certain social and economic factors came together.

One being immigration. During the 1800s stone masons,  mainly from Ireland, immigrated to the area to practice their homeland  trade of masonry. The Irish potato famine during the mid-1800s seemed to be one of the driving forces for immigration to the states. 

Secondly, prior to the civil war, black slaves were able to fill in as masonry assistants. After the civil war  black assistants became masons in their own right.  

Old limestone steps remaining from a buildings long gone.

Mt Vernon, Kentucky

Masonry during this time was slow work. The work was done by hand  -- having rock delivered to the work site and then carefully chiseled with special tools to fit the project at hand.   The rock was delivered by horse driven wagons.

If one studies the different old limestone masonry work around central Kentucky one will eventually recognize that each mason left his own individualized  imprint on his work.  Some very finely accomplished -- some rather naive. To be able to attach individual names to certain limestone projects is rare -- their names being lost to history. Basically masonry was a male trade during this era. 

So the interesting story is that it took blacks, immigrants and limestone coming together to leave not only a social impact on the area but an economic one that left architectural integrity on the built environment in central Kentucky. 

Reference used for this post:
My thanks to the authors Carolyn Murray-Wooley and Karl Raitz, authors of Rock Fences of the Bluegrass.Their book contains fascinating research on the limestone fences of central Kentucky. 

TWO QUILT-SQUARES ON A BARN

While out on an errand today, I noticed this simple yet graphic quilt-square attached to the gable of a horse barn. I quickly pulled over to take a photo of this beautiful old  pattern as my camera travels with me most of the time.

The idea of placing quilt-squares on barns was in part to honor women who have contributed their skills as quilters both historically and presently. They made and still are making quilts of all sizes for use in homes for warmth or decoration.  Here in Central Kentucky the movement to place the quilt-squares on barns has grown exponentially since I moved here five plus years ago. It has even spread to placing them on commercial buildings, fences, and farm outbuildings. 

I don't know the name of this pattern but I am sure someone out there might know it. I used to have a great quilt pattern identification book but no longer. 

Anyhow,  as I was taking this above photo I moved around toward the side of the barn to get an angle shot and -- surprise, I found another quilt-square. This was a first for me -- seeing two on one barn. 

This blue and white quilt pattern is also unknown to me. It really doesn't matter -- it's enough that they  are symbols of the great artistic skills of women quilters.

Oh, as I left I wondered if possibly there was another quilt- square on the other side of the barn -- or the back side?  Couldn't walk around to see as this barn was on  private property. Now, my quest is on -- to find a barn with three quilt - squares. Hmm  . . . . .  

OLD CLEAR CREEK BARN

In the autumn of its life - still standing proud

Rockcastle  County, Kentucky

OLD HOME ON BLUE LICK ROAD

Home on Blue Lick Road

Two rooms across and a back attachment. Plain, simple and efficient. Today old, small country homes similar to this Blue Lick house dot the landscape in central Kentucky. 

They are one of my favorite types of homes. Usually the old tin roofs are still in use on them. A shed porch has always provided a sittin' area to feel the breeze and hear the rustle of the leaves. I think of the reasonably priced wood that was bought at local saw mills for the family to build their home using only hammers, nails, and a hand-saw. 

 Most of these homes are called Box houses as they use box construction methods to build them.Today, some folks purchase Box houses to restore. Many other similar homes are left to slowly decay.

I feel the Blue Lick Road home and others like it reflect the heart and soul of the hard working folks of the late 1800s and early 1900s. A time when these economy house types were first built on Kentucky land. Around the 1930s or so the Box  building tradition began to disappear.

APPALACHIAN HOME IN THE BACKWATER AREA

Appalachian Backwater Area

Vacant

The house above is an example of the vernacular architecture found in the backwater areas of central and eastern Kentucky. Backwater having two meanings; one, that the area is peaceful and isolated and two, that the area's culture can be moving to a different drumbeat than other parts of the nation. 

Most of these small cracker box types of homes were built in the early 1900s when many backwater areas did not have electricity nor plumbing and schooling was not emphasized as important. Today these types of homes on the Kentucky landscape  are swiftly disappearing along with the culture they symbolize.

Like any culture we can always learn something from it. When these homes can no longer be spotted on the land we will have lost a friendly handshake along with values such as making do, hard work, and simple ways.

SIGN OF THE TIMES -- MAIL BOX SIZE

I pass many road-side mailboxes along country lanes that come in all types of designs and colors. Most are the metal gray or black boxes all rusted and worn. 


One of the older types of mail boxes, that I rarely see anymore, are the very large metal ones. I feel they are near extinction in central Kentucky. Because of their rarity these large boxes have reached a collectible status in these parts.


Perhaps there is just not the amount of mail being delivered any more so the big boxes are being taken down -- being replaced by  the small standard ones. I am sure that online emails are a contributor to reducing the usual amount of mail being delivered to households. 

The big metal mailboxes certainly add a charm to the countryside. I'd like to have one just for its reminder of when, as a young wife, I used to anticipate the mail- man's delivery to my big box by the side of the road.