Yup. I know they liked their distelfinks, but thinks it's a general European thing and not specifically Amish: :
This is the back of the barn on my girlfriend's place when we were kids. I believe her father built it himself. A few milk cows stayed in the basement. You had to climb a ladder to the top part, which was usually filled with square hay bales stacked in places to the ceiling. It seemed very tall to me, but we were shorter then. Picture from 2021. Whoever bought the place has taken good care of it. We used to spend weekend nights at each other's houses occasionally from grades 4 -12. The only thing I remember is on one visit we decided to sleep overnight up in the hay loft. After it got quiet, we heard things scurrying around on the rafters. Imagining it was rats, we grabbed our pillows and blankets and ran to the house. I remember during those years, things changed so fast. Every year that passed you were interested in completely different things than the previous year. We became too grown up to try such childish things again.
Old Barns and the Stories They Tell - Part 1 Photo courtesy of Casey Carden "Old barn, what is it that draws me to you? Is it your shape, the color of your wood, or is it the mystery of what your chambers would tell me if you could speak? But you do speak, don’t you?" "I’ve never been able to resist you. You whisper to me, calling me from your place among green pastures where cattle stand idle around you. I hear your soft voice drifting on the wind from your perch high on a hillside. Sometimes I feel you brush against me, nudging me to look a little deeper in the woods where you sit broken and forgotten. You have touched my soul and I think perhaps you are my teacher." (MORE)
They are nice although most of my time in a barn was shoveling with a pitchfork, but we did have a couple good times with barn dances a long time ago. Last tiem I was in a barn I was loading hay for horse and donkey.
"The Barn at Creek's Bend is housed in an 1891 dairy barn that has been transformed into a sophisticated, rustic indoor and outdoor event location for corporate events, conventions, weddings and other social gatherings.The barn's vaulted ceiling, wooden rafters and original exposed stonewalls showcase the rustic feel, with an elevated sophistication. The venue features a wrap-around deck, outdoor patio, 360 degree round fireplace and picturesque views of the historic LeTort Spring Run." Barn At Creeks Bend
I'll put this is our song thread, thanks. We didn't have a barn but our neighbor did and we used to sneak into0 his barn and pet his horses. We did have an outhouse, where I smoked my first cigarette like Jimmy did in the barn. Got caught when mama saw the smoke coming out the half-moon window which got me striped up, every dignified outhouse had a half moon.
Barn Quilts Closely related to hex signs, barn quilts are simple geometric shapes (blocks from quilting patterns) painted on wood and hung on barns. The history of barn quilts can be traced back to the arrival of immigrants from Europe in colonial times. Barn quilts were a way to decorate barns and other farm buildings, identify different families or homesteads, and help provide directions to travelers. This "art form" spread throughout New England and Midwestern states. Before the late 19th century barns were not painted but covered with linseed oil and iron oxide. When ready-made paint became more cheaply available, barn quilts kinda died out. Donna Sue Groves was primarily responsible for resurrecting the barn quilt in the 21st century. Barn quilts popped up everywhere, and Quilt Trails have now been organized in 29 states.[1] So few undecorated barns left; so little time. Of the dozens I've looked at, this is the only one I don't hate:
Barn Raising "Barn-raisings were typically occasions of community good-feeling, solidarity and festivity, as well as cooperative labor, and figured as part of a wider culture of neighborly mutual assistance." - Wikipedia Witness (1985) Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis Then there's this...[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)] "The tradition continues in some Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities, particularly in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and some rural parts of Canada." . . .
These Beautiful Barns Tell the Story of the United States "In 1935, the nation was home to 6.8 million farms, and most had at least one barn. By 2007, only about 650,000 of these structures remained." A quintessential fall scene: Amber stalks of grain obscure the view of pumpkins and an antique truck sitting outside of an obligatory red barn. Barry Creech, Colorado, 2021 (See More Barns)