Another few pieces of Americana slipping away
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
I wrote an article some time back that lamented the loss of farmland in this country. In the mid-Atlantic region, especially in the suburbs around Washington, D.C., the need for more and bigger (and more lavish) homes has eaten up inch after inch and acre after acre of precious land. What used to be farm land, or at least land that was populated with wildlife and greenery has been cleared, levelled, and in that spot are homes on 1/4 acre (give or take) lots, or strips of townhomes and condominium units.
Thanks to all of this clearing and building, another few pieces -- what seems in many ways like the last of the few -- of Americana are slowly but surely being eroded away from us.
I used to be able to see large areas of farm land with beautiful old barns sitting in the middle of the spread, perhaps with and old tractor or farm implement near. Now instead I see large housing developments, with big SUVs or luxury autos out in front of the attached garages.
I miss the old barns. I still see a few, similar to the one pictured below, but in many places the old barns are decaying rapidly. Falling apart back in the woods near an old farm house that has been vacant for a few years while heirs of an estate fight over who has rights to the property. Very few barns are still used for the agricultural purposes that they used to be used for.
Over time, barns that looked like above are starting to look more and more like the artist's rendition shown below:
or perhaps more like the one below:
In anycase, I'm saddened to see so many of these great old buildings lost. With the exception of occassional jokes on the Simpsons, you don't see barns being built any more. The ones that used to exist are going away slowly but surely, and new ones aren't springing up any more as we move away from being a nation of farmers to a nation of consumers and service people.
True, there are still farmers out in the heartland, but much of the farm business has changed over time to one that is more corporate. Instead of mom and pop farmers, there are corporations like ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) and others that are running the nations farms. Instead of tobacco fields, there are housing developments. Truly not the land I grew up in.
Thanks to all of this clearing and building, another few pieces -- what seems in many ways like the last of the few -- of Americana are slowly but surely being eroded away from us.
I used to be able to see large areas of farm land with beautiful old barns sitting in the middle of the spread, perhaps with and old tractor or farm implement near. Now instead I see large housing developments, with big SUVs or luxury autos out in front of the attached garages.
I miss the old barns. I still see a few, similar to the one pictured below, but in many places the old barns are decaying rapidly. Falling apart back in the woods near an old farm house that has been vacant for a few years while heirs of an estate fight over who has rights to the property. Very few barns are still used for the agricultural purposes that they used to be used for.
Over time, barns that looked like above are starting to look more and more like the artist's rendition shown below:
or perhaps more like the one below:
In anycase, I'm saddened to see so many of these great old buildings lost. With the exception of occassional jokes on the Simpsons, you don't see barns being built any more. The ones that used to exist are going away slowly but surely, and new ones aren't springing up any more as we move away from being a nation of farmers to a nation of consumers and service people.
True, there are still farmers out in the heartland, but much of the farm business has changed over time to one that is more corporate. Instead of mom and pop farmers, there are corporations like ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) and others that are running the nations farms. Instead of tobacco fields, there are housing developments. Truly not the land I grew up in.
