Barns aren't usually this bright red but are often a rust red which got me wondering why it was a popular color. Here's the answer I found:
But barns weren't originally red in fact, they weren't painted at all. The early farmers that settled in New England didn't have much extra money to spend on paint, so most of their barns remained unpainted. By the late 1700s, farmers looking to shield their barns' wood from the elements began experimenting with ways to make their own protective paint.
A recipe consisting of skimmed milk, lime and red iron oxide created a rusty-colored mixture that became popular among farmers because it was cheap to make and lasted for years. Farmers were able to easily obtain iron oxide the compound that lends natural red clay its coppery color from soil. Linseed oil derived from flax plants was also used to seal bare wood against rotting, and it stained the wood a dark coral hue.
Farmers also noticed that painting their barns with the homemade paint kept the buildings warmer during the wintertime, since the darker color absorbs the sun's rays more than plain, tan wood. So red paint spread in popularity due to its functionality and convenience, becoming an American tradition that continues to this day.
I have never seen a round barn like this one. I would love to see the inside to see what was stored in there and how they utilized the space. The front door looks like it slides around to open and would be large enough for a tractor to go through. I can't determine what is stored in there partly because of the location of it on the farm. Someone please help this ole farm girl out.
That's one barn you could identify from a long ways off. It would be hard to get lost around there. When if was about 3 we moved to the suburbs and my mother felt it safe to let me outside to play alone. I wandered down the street then couldn't figure out which house was mine and started to cry. After that my mother put a chair outside with a red bandana tied to it so I'd know where home was.
Hope you all can find your way home always.
God bless you all.
But barns weren't originally red in fact, they weren't painted at all. The early farmers that settled in New England didn't have much extra money to spend on paint, so most of their barns remained unpainted. By the late 1700s, farmers looking to shield their barns' wood from the elements began experimenting with ways to make their own protective paint.
A recipe consisting of skimmed milk, lime and red iron oxide created a rusty-colored mixture that became popular among farmers because it was cheap to make and lasted for years. Farmers were able to easily obtain iron oxide the compound that lends natural red clay its coppery color from soil. Linseed oil derived from flax plants was also used to seal bare wood against rotting, and it stained the wood a dark coral hue.
Farmers also noticed that painting their barns with the homemade paint kept the buildings warmer during the wintertime, since the darker color absorbs the sun's rays more than plain, tan wood. So red paint spread in popularity due to its functionality and convenience, becoming an American tradition that continues to this day.
Hope you all can find your way home always.