Broken Barns : Rural Ohio In Pictures
George Corneliussen
* To view larger versions of these pictures, click on Article Images ( upper left ).
Between 1995 and 2001, I took many pictures on the Sunday rides my wife and took (and still take) in rural Ohio. All these images were taken within a hundered mile radius of Cincinnati. They are all 35mm, the film speeds vary. All pictures are copyrighted.
Right-Leaning Barn
Winter Barn
Inside Winter Barn
All Fall Down
Left-Leaning Barn
Black And White Right
Baby It's Cold Outside
Still Standing
Link to: "Dead Houses : Rural Ohio In Pictures"
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Comments: 30
A terrific series you have going here!
I see a lot of decrepit and ruined barns on my rides too. A lot more than the deserted homes you've shown.
I don't find them as creepy as the deserted houses, but you still have to wonder about the stories... Why would someone let their barn fall down? Did they lose their farm? Did the farmer die? Do cow and horse ghosts live there?
In my neck of the woods, the answer as to why these barns were allowed to fall into ruin is a two parter.
1. Many of them were built in the days when small farmers had a bigger share of the market, so they needed big barns and could afford to keep them in repair.
2. Labor costs these days prohibit many small farmers from being able to afford to keep their barns up to snuff
( Once the roof begins to leak and goes unrepaired, that's the beginning of the end for a barn ) .
A few years ago, we visited an historic farm the state of Ohio has restored as part of the state park system. They had just rebuilt the barn on the farm. It was 100% wood-framed and 100% wood siding, with a tin roof.
I asked one of the park workers what it cost to build the barn and he told me it was in the $300,000 range. That's why "new" barns are often pole barns or steel structures on a cement slab.
100 years ago, when all these old beauties were new it must have been an awesome sight to behold.
Every time I photograph an old barn or house on an abandoned peice of property, I always go inside. You can feel the lives that lived there and the work they did. It's not a creepy feeling either, it feels peaceful.
I've been to some of these places in both winter and summer. The difference is astounding. Desolate in winter; welcoming in summer.
Old barn wood reads like a book.
Great pics; I love the B&W.
My wife fell half-way through the flood of an old abandoned house once. You learn where to walk and where not to walk very quickly.
Yep, and in another fifty years there won't be any of the ole gals left.
The toughest part of publishing these pictures is knowing that in some cases the subjects no longer exist.
The heads-up on the old wells is a good point to bring up. Haven't found any the hard way yet, but came close.
Record them the next time the wind blows ( I'm serious).
Beauty is everywhere. We've only been marketed to believe you have to buy it.
Thanks for commenting. Isn't it amazing how many of us grew up with things like barns as part of the landscape. It's fun sharing the things we share.
Thanks. The door's always open.
My pleasure. The countryside is a blast as far as making one feel like the world makes sense.
It always seems amazing to me that something as substantial as a barn could lose all it's value and simply be allowed to rot away.
It's getting harder and harder. Many of these old relics are already gone. My suggestion is to travel the countryside and knock on doors when see a broken barn on the property and make an offer. You also might try a website like Craig's List and post a message saying what you're looking for.