Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Vintage Rusty Stuff, Barns of Wisconsin

Rusty Valve on Gasoline Tank (below)

Farm Gasoline Tank


In the 1950s, farmers had much smaller field machinery than they do now.  Crops for the 20 or so dairy cows could be put up with a small tractor, plow, disc, planter, cultivator, mower, rake, and small hay baler. And to make sure there was fuel ready when they needed it, a small tank like the one pictured above would be kept on the farm.


Concrete stave silo, silage room, and barn

Between the silo and the barn was the silage room, which was basically a covered walkway that allowed the farmer to take the wheelbarrow from the barn to the silo, load silage into it with a sileage fork, and then wheel it back to the feed trough where he would fork out the silage in front of each cow.


Weather-worn granary
used for storing grains, such as oats

I remember being a kid and playing in a huge pile of oats in a granary, burying ourselves in the oats, and feeling all the slippery oats as we paddled through them with our hands. Now, I can only wonder how many rats had crawled over and around those same oats. It makes me shudder!


The rest of the story.
This one won't be standing much longer.


Pallet & Trash Can
That's utter rubbish!


***

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of the following: Treasure Box Tuesday  and Rubbish Tuesday and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Adorned From Above  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Junkin' Joe and Vintage Inspiration Friday and A Favorite Thing Saturday 

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent pictures. I like the way the rust has formed on the granary roof. It is funny the things we do as children that with hindsight horrify us.

Denise said...

Love the barns.

Paulette said...

Ewe to the rat story,love the photos.

Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...

Vintage rusty stuff got my attention!

The Cranky said...

Beautiful photos and stories; I was especially drawn to the old raised gas tank. We had one of those on the farm when I was a child as well; when I was old enough to drive the tractor it was always my job to 'fill 'er up'.

Susie said...

Very good photos. I live in the country now, but I was raised in the city....so your story helped me. xoxo,Susie

Primitive Stars said...

Love the rusty country pictures, think the barn crumbling is so beautiful, Francine.

Deb said...

Interesting about the silage room. I see so many old, abandoned barns from the road on our way to our property and would love to have the opportunity to explore them. Great photos. Deb

Roan said...

We didn't have a granery, but I do remember playing in the grain wagon during harvest. There were always pieces of grasshoppers and such. I would be worried about rat/mice germs these days, too. Love each shot, but especially the silo. Thanks for linking up!

Anonymous said...

These are great pictures! I love the history each one represents.

Dicky Bird said...

Yes, that one won't be standing long. I hate to see the old barns and outbuilding fall down. Good thing when we were kids we didn't think of that - or the mice in the hay.

Robyn said...

Hi Judy,
What a pleasure to visit your blog! Great pics and I love everything vintage. The history always has so much more appeal than brand new.
I'm going to have so much fun exploring here. So glad you found me!
Have a great day!

Suzan said...

Great shots! Especially like the the corner of the barn, or rather lack of corner of the barn! Wonder what happened??? A wayward tractor?

Jackie McGuinness said...

Great photos and description of daily farm life.

MadSnapper said...

i love every single photo.. the gas tank looks like a piece of art.. the granary is just beautiful and i am sorry it is falling down...

Amy Burzese said...

Nice collection for today. Rats. Gross. I'll remember that next time I'm eating oats. lol

Diane said...

This is going to sound odd, but that metal garbage can sure brought back memories. We had metal ones when I was a kid. Nice pictures!!

marilyn said...

Yes..great photos and isn't it wonderful that as children we were only interested in the 'play' ...

Elizabeth Edwards said...

neat post. i have been away on a camping adventure. & now just getting back to replying & talking to you guys again. hope you are well. ( ;

tlcukjourney said...

I've always loved your photos, these ones especially remind me of when I lived in Maine. There were many dilapidated buildings that people just leave or still use, but they make for great photography!
I hope you have been keeping well, I hope to find the time to visit more often, when I don't have time to visit blogs, I feel as If I haven't seen friends in ever such a long time!
Much love to you,
Tammy x

TexWisGirl said...

oh, you just brought in a flood of memories - everything from the fuel tank to the silage room and wheel barrow toting of it. :) yup, played in the oats piles myself.

Vee said...

I thought Is it Rusty Tuesday or something? No! It's Rubbish Tuesday...hahahhahaha...a meme for everything. I love it. Don't you be causing us all to be creeped out over rats and oats. I'll be fretting what's been walking on my lawn when I'm out there barefoot as I usually am.

L. D. said...

Being born and raised on a farm these photos seem very familiar. Great shots.

Debby Ray said...

Great pics...I love seeing all of these rusty finds!

Susan said...

Isn't it fun thinking back on the crazy things we do as kids? Nice photos, Judy.

Thanks for your visits and comments, too. Susan

Anonymous said...

Lots of wonderful memories generated by those great images!

Visiting from Rubbish Tuesday,

~Lindy

Terri D said...

Great photos and wonderful memories! Judy, I have stood on a rafter and jumped into the bin of wheat, before - sinking up to my knees! What fun that was! Never thought about the rats that might have been there before us, but we sure had fun. You can chew a handful of wheat and it turns into gum! Not very flavorful (at all) but we always did it (again, never thinking about rats). It's a wonder we survived! LOL

sweetbriardreams said...

I love taking photos of old things, so much of a story to tell. Have a wonderful week xx

SImple and Serene Living said...

Gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing your slice of country life. xo Laura

Ruth Kelly said...

My grandfather had a shed in the back that held grain. My brother Fred and I used to climb into the rafters and jump down into the grain. It was such fun. I don't think there were any rats in that area, too many cats around.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

If these buildings could talk! Thanks for sharing your pictures and the history behind these old beauties.

Judy S. said...

Nice photos, Judy. I think we might have been sort of close to you when we went from MPLS to the Dells. It was fun and nostalgic to be in WI again.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

thank you for the history lesson, My Mom grew up on a farm and didn't like it, she said it was lonely...She's a city girl. I want the wood on that falling barn!! so many projects that could be done with it!

Carol

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I hate to see old barns tumble down but I know they will. It's so good to take the photos while we can. Love your rusty relics and beautiful old barns. What a glorious place we live. Enjoy your week! Hugs!

Carla from The River said...

Fun photos.
Rats!! Have you found the 3rd??

Chatty Crone said...

I was thinking that these were beautiful at one time and they aged and they are still beautiful - just in another or different way.

Eclectic Red Barn said...

Love your pictures, especially those barns. I always feel bad when they start leaning and they look like they will fall down. What beauties they are,
Bev

Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness said...

You brought back old memories. I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. I remember my sister and I burying ourselves with the oats too. We never thought of the mice and rats that may have been there before us either.

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Beautiful photos!

NanaDiana said...

You take really goods photos, Judy..You have a real eye for it...and obviously a camera, too!;>) xoDiana

Sarah said...

I remember travelling in a trailer filled with grain as a child (which I'm pretty sure cant have been safe) and it was alive with ladybirds - some lovely photos here.

Hootin Anni said...

Your narrative brought back a lot of memories of my youth with my grandparents' farm. I've often thought, when I see the farm equipment for today, what the farmers of today would think of working the fields like my grandparents had...

Great series Judy.

Cynthia said...

Beautiful pictures and call me kooky but I love that rusty valve for some reason. Yo u always show great pictures of where you live. Could have done without the rat story, ick. Hope they are disappearing.

Cynthia

Ida said...

Awesome photos of this old farm and explanations as to what everything was used for. I chuckled a little about the "rats" in the granary.

Unknown said...

I love these pictures, of the barns and rusty things. Enjoy your weekend!

Kathy said...

The wonderful innocence of childhood - didn't hurt you a bit! Love the photos - wonderful post - I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy

J_on_tour said...

You built our hopes up with the longevity of the granary in the first picture of it.That's one serious defect.

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