Dust caught the strips of morning sunlight as it filtered between the weathered barn boards.  Atop a 30 foot stack of square bales, I took aim at the flatbed truck and tossed another bale.  Direct hit!  The dust spread and caught the light again.  If I landed the bale horizontally, but on an edge, it would roll to the front of the truck where my dad was stacking them.  Landing a bale on end meant broken strings, and admonishment.  As I tried to pry a bale loose from the next teir, my dad yelled, “Grab both stings, don’t break it!”  To avoid a broken bale, I got down on knees and pushed upwards with my shoulder.  The bale slipped loose and was soon on it’s way down to the truck.  “39 more”,  Dad said.

That was the scene 30 years ago.  The barn has since given up its century long battle with gravity and is only a memory.  There are other barns on our property in different stages of disrepair.  I could tell stories from each one, but this story is about one in particular.

As a child, I learned the names of different

Lower Barn A Sunset

places on the farm…The Ford Place, The Old Shed, The 80, The Lower Barn.  The ”Lower Barn” was more like an area.  It was located about an eighth of a mile from where my Dad grew up.  With 2 machine sheds, a feedlot, grain bins, and all the farm equipment, I just never linked the old barn standing off to one side with its name.  As I study it now, the “Lower Barn” deserves a place in history.

As a child, I just assumed the Lower Barn was just something we had.  Now I realize, these were commonplace on other farms as well.

We have a gravel lane through the “Ford Place”.  About 400 yards before you reach the old house, you pass a barn.  There was a barn at the house as well,  but not nearly as elaborate as the Lower Barn.

I believe lower barns were born from a need for cleanliness with a little egotism and independence added in.  Not only did they keep the stink away from the house, they kept the farmer out all day too!  He could work with the livestock, and the Mrs. could get some peace while he was gone!

The use of this second barn setup seems to be fading into history.  My wife said her grandparents had a lower barn, so I know it’s not just something I made up!  Anybody else have memories of a “Lower Barn”?