Why Old Barns Still Matter in Rural America

Drive down a country road and chances are you'll pass an old barn. 

Some are still being used. Some have faded paint and missing doors. Others are leaning or maybe even collapsed in the last storm. There are some barns that look pristine and others that look like they have been through it. 

But I always notice them and the farms they are on, whether it is a working farm or an abandoned farm. 

Maybe it's because I grew up around farming and still live in a rural area. When I see an old barn, I don't just see an old building. I think about all the life that happened there before us. 

THINK ABOUT THE HARDSHIPS SOME MAY HAVE GONE THROUGH TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN THEIR FARMS.

Someone built that barn and put their hard-earned money and a lot of sweat into building it.

They needed a place for their animals. They needed a place to store feed. 

They did not have the tools and equipment we have today either. 

That barn became a part of their everyday life. 

The kids played in them. They explored those barns on hot summer days. They found the kittens the mama cat hid from them in those barn lofts. They hung ropes to swing from in those barns. 

The kids also learned to work hard and gained work ethic in those barns. They had to put up feed for the winter. They had to milk the cows. They had to do daily chores. 

Years have gone by. Kids grew up. Generations have passed. Farming has changed, but many of those barns are still standing. 

WE ARE LOSING MORE OF THEM.

Wind and storms cause many of them to fall down. 

Farming looks different today than it did when these barns were built. We have bigger equipment and different farming practices. Farmers take them down because they aren't useful anymore. 

To keep a barn in good condition takes work and money. They can be expensive to keep up. 

So little by little, they are disappearing. 

I understand why it happens, but I'm still sad to see them go. 

A PART OF RURAL AMERICA

Old barns aren't perfect. That is part of what makes them special.

The paint might be faded. The doors might not be straight or they are missing boards.

But they are still around and I think they are worth noticing while they are still here. 

Because they are more than old buildings. 

They are part of the story that built rural America.

WHY I PUT AN OLD BARN ON A SHIRT

I wanted to create something that helped remember the rural heritage that came before us. The old barns, the farms, and the generations of families who built their lives here.

So much has changed over the years, and a lot of these old barns won't be here forever. I love the stories they represent. 

The old barn in this design is my way of remembering that. 

The generations before us worked hard to build a life here, and I think that is something worth holding on to.