Barns of Fairfax

[Mike Raburn]

Excellent pictures!

I never thought of this until now, can anyone tell me why a number of the barns are painted red?

First day of spring and we have a heat wave of 20F!!!! Expecting snow tonight though.

It was -2F yesterday on my way to work.

[Henry]

Hi Mike,

Well here is one theory:

Why are barns usually painted red?

Red barns are common sights throughout rural America.
 
If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.
 
Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant.) Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

1. Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.

2. Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.
As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on what they are used for.

Hows that for a wealth of knowledge -- Thanks to Google

By the way for those of you not aware of it, David Shea has some great photos of barns which is what Mike was eluding too -- click on the following link to view:

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/Barns-of-Fairfax-a-reminder-of-our-past

[/b]

[Mike Raburn]

Thanks Henry.

I always assumed they were painted red to ward off alien space craft!! 

Who knew!!!

[David Shea]

Mike:

This past year I was watching a Public TV broadcast dealing with the economy of Vermont at the turn of the century.  At this time the state of Vermont was under the impression that business was the main economic engine of the state.  After a closer look it was determined that tourism created more money for the state.  The state took this into consideration and started to ask the tourist what they expected to see when coming to VT.  Many of them were at a loss for the lack of color of local barns.  When asked what color they should be the owerwhelming respose was red.

The state tourism department made it a point to go and see the Vermont Farmers and encourage them to paint the barns red to please the tourist. 

[Mike Raburn]

David,

I think after oil money our second income is tourism.

You need to keep the visitors happy!

Did the State kick in some red paint?

[David Shea]

Not sure?  I bet that they gave them a discount on their tax bill though.

[Henry]

Dave has just added some more photos to his album he took on McNall & Richards Roads -- For you old timers used to be Georgia Mountain -- Click on the following link to go to his album:

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/Barns-of-Fairfax-a-reminder-of-our-past