What is it about old and abandoned barns and buildings that is so alluring? Is it that they stand steadfastly through the elements, refusing to allow abandonment and neglect to prevent them from telling a story? (All photos and photo collages can be enlarged for easier viewing if clicked on)
Do they show a pioneer spirit that proudly attests to a time of hard work and spartan simplicity? While others are more recent abandonments from hard times?
Are they the vessels that hold on to lost dreams?
Were they left to rust and rot because they wore out their usefulness...
...or did they meet with a disaster?
Whenever I see one of these sad vestiges of the past in my journey's around Colorado, I try to stop to take a photo of it. I want to show it a little love and attention before it disappears from the landscape.
Also, a few years ago I blogged about Southpark City in Fairplay, Colorado. It was created in the late 1950s by a group of citizens concerned that the old mining and ghost towns of Park County were being dismantled and destroyed, so they decided to save as many buildings as possible, move them to one area, and recreate a replica 1800s gold mine town. Buildings were brought in from the Mosquito Range, Alma, Leavick, Buckskin, and Montgomery. Click here to read that post and see these treasures preserved for all to visit. Thankfully, these original buildings from America's early Western frontier history were preserved, including many artifacts that are displayed inside them.
One of my favorite buildings of all in Colorado are the ruins of the historic pioneer Bradford Perley House that is located in the heart of my own community of Ken Caryl Ranch.
The back of the structure is the ruins of the original house that Robert Boyles Bradford built in 1860 on land he obtained along the foothills of the front range, where he had hoped to establish his "Bradford City." Bradford left the Russell, Majors and Waddell partnership (founders of the Pony Express) in Denver in 1861, and lived full time in his stone cabin, where he raised cattle and turnips, potatoes, apples, and peaches. Bradford also ran an enterprise from this location of his Bradford Wagon Toll Road that led up into the mountains. Miners and ranchers would travel from Denver, stay at the Bradford House, then travel up the Bradford Toll Road, at a cost of $1.50 per wagon, into the mountains.
In 1872 Bradford added on to the house, with a larger eastern entrance, and patterned it after a southern style mansion. It featured eighteen-inch walls made from locally quarried hand cut sandstones and had board floors and a shingled roof. Bradford remained in his house until his death on December 29, 1876, and his wife Fannie gave up the ranch in 1878. Later, James Adams Perley purchased the property in 1895. He was a direct descendant of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Perley was a dairy farmer from Vermont, who came west with the gold rush. He eventually returned to dairy farming, when he bought the Bradford property. Perley died in 1926 when the house was then sold to John C. Shaffer, who already owned some of the surrounding lands.
Sadly, a fire destroyed the wooded aspects of the Bradford Perley House in 1967, and only the stone frame was left standing. I wrote more about the history of the Bradford Perley house on a prior blog post which you can read on this link.
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41 comments:
I love all your photos of old buildings! Years ago I explored an old ghost town and I think it was called Tin Cup. Love all the old things in Colorado and always wondered about the story behind them.
I always like the story behind deserted ruins. Lovely post!
Great photos of old barns - and the cars too! Happy MM.
Pat - I believe historic structures, especially barns and pioneer homes, capture our imagination. The labor dedicated to build them, the hardships their inhabitants endured, the benefits that we are still enjoying - it has a romance that is hard to resist! Thanks so much for sharing this slice of history with Mosaic Monday, as well as the work you are doing in your own community to preserve history!
Old buildings sure are photogenic and intriguing. I always wonder what their history is when I see one. It is great what you are doing in keeping this one alive. Good on those who transported the old homes to make a historical town. A great post.
I don't know what it is about rural decay, but I love to photograph it. Rust is one of my favorite things! Lol! Great shots and that first one is my favorite.
What an interesting history the Bradford Perley House has! I too love the old buildings. What stories their walls could tell!
...count me in, I love old rusty and weathered things!
I like visiting the old mining ruins and ghost towns in Summit County. I especially love when there are some old, rusty vehicles like you photographed. Hope you and Vinny are well.
I love old buildings. You have some great pictures!
I love the photos of old trucks and barns. They are fast disappearing in Canada.
I like abandoned barns too, although in these parts you rarely see them.
Worth a Thousand Words
Hello Pat, the old buildings, barns and vehicle are photogenic. Great post and photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your day! Wishing you a great new week ahead!
Good to know the walls can still talk.
Great pics. Esp the stone buildings.
There's something special about older buildings … it's the stories they so often tell.
All the best Jan
I have relatives who live on ranches in Idaho who have barns and other outbuildings like these. They are special. Great post about a type of building that is fast disappearing.
I too, love old buildings.
These old relics are beautiful.
This is wonderful Pat! I feel the same about abandoned homes and barns (and I now see I could include abandoned old vehicles )...I always wish I knew the stories. Love that you have collected pictures of all you see.. and speaking of stories from the past, your group is doing great work keeping the Bradford Perley home and history alive!
Old buildings and abandoned vehicles certainly make one wonder what happened there. Such great photos, Pat.
I wonder about old abandoned homes, barns, and vehicles too, Pat. That's wonderful your group is keeping the history alive at the Bradford Perley home. If not for that it would be forgotten. I love history and feel it should be remembered. The good and the bad.
I see the abandoned vehicles and broken down farm structures in the middle of no where as part of the beauty of the natural landscape. I only need 10 miles or so to see such art. :-)
Beautiful shots! These old buildings and cars show us that there is determination and beauty in ruin.
I love these abandoned structures too, if only as good painting subjects. Hopefully, someone will restore and preserve some of them.
Great shots of the old and abandoned structures and vehicles. Nice mosaics, too. Hope your have a good Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and beginning of Lent!
Outstanding set of images. One does wonder about the stories that old structures could tell. Often I wonder just how did the structure get built with such precision, given the lack of power tools and technology available at the time of construction. Barns do seem to stand in defiance of time and weather. When it comes to autos, you just have to ask, "How did it get here?" Have a blessed week.
This looks like a terrific field trip, Pat. I know what you mean about the lure of abandoned buildings and some that are just plain falling down. They are mesmerizing. Happy week to you!
I love decaying buildings. When they're framed by blue skies, all the better!
I sure enjoy photographing these subjects...they pull so at my heart strings.
There is, obviously, a lot of interest in old and abandoned places! Nice images.
great post and I love all the history too. We have a few "known" abandoned sites in California too and one of the famous ones is Calico which is actually operated daily for visitors. I've been there once. I often wonder about old abanonded places as well. Thank you for sharing it at #OMHGWW!
I love pictures of old barns. These are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing with #BloggingGrandmotherLinkParty.
Thank you for linking up to My Corner of the World!
Never heard of this place. I am going to bookmark it for the next time I come to Colorado. Maybe there in May! Have a great weekend
A wonderful collection that fits the "old and abandoned" description. Like you, I am totally drawn to them. I love photo #1 and also the old truck.
I love those old structures and vehicles. My mom was watching an Errol Flynn Custer movie this afternoon and I was talking about how tiny the Alamo was and how you'd never suspect what events happened there. These old barns and homesteads let your imagination loose.
Interesting building and lovely skies
I love falling apart buildings, old trucks, etc. We see a lot of them in my neck of the woods too. That's a great idea to create a town to preserve the history.
always a story to tell
old but look exciting for me.
have a great day
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