Farm Country - U.S. Route 11, Part 3

I was making a photographic driving tour of New York Route 11, headed east from the town of Lawrence to the town of Bangor, New York (see previous two posts), and came upon this old, abandoned shed - or was it once a house?:

A sugar house with a full woodshed, all ready to begin operations any day now:

An elaborate horse barn. I'll bet the view from the cupola at the top was magnificent:

And speaking of magnificent, these two horses fit the bill:

An auto mechanic's country garage:

A very old barn with a number of additions:

I noticed the sign post (without its sign) by this old barn and suspected that it was once a gas station on Route 11, between Malone and Potsdam:

This old barn had been abandoned so long ago that trees had grown up all around it:

And the house next to the old barn had also been abandoned:

A lovely old barn, which still appeared to be in usable condition:

An example of an old barn still standing, thanks to the steel roof they'd put on. This was the last photo I took on this driving tour, so I began the return trip toward home. The rural scenery in this area is lovely, and I find it a pleasure and privilege to record some of it for posterity:

Farm Country - U.S. Route 11, Part 2

I was driving east on U.S. Route 11, from the town of Lawrence to the town of Bangor, New York. There was an abundance of large, well kept barns and farms along the way:

Most of the barns were very old but some of them were not aging well. Notice the collapsing structure to the right of this venerable old barn:

A picture perfect barn, silos and grain bins:

Very old, and sitting right at the edge of the highway:

Another impressive farm:

The side of this barn was plastered with giant signs, including a rant about losing out to a large dairy cooperative, political opinions and a gigantic photo of the owner, riding a steer:

Most of the old barns which are still serviceable have had new roofs put on. This barn clearly needed one a long time ago but didn't receive it. Now there is a gigantic hole in the roof and not much hope for the structure:

A busy, active farm, with barns and silo:

The house which went with the above farm was also mighty impressive:

This old barn appeared to be used only for storing hay:

An old hay wagon and the remains of a shed. But I had more road to travel and more farms and barns to photograph, so I'll continue by posting Part 3 tomorrow:

Farm Country - U.S. Route 11, Part 1

I finished the morning chores and snow plowing (with the tractor), then noticed what a nice day it was for taking photos. The sunlight was bright but diffused. I had nothing else much on my to-do list, so I hopped in the car for a driving tour. I was headed east on U.S. Route 11 when I realized that the barns and farms all around me were about as nice as I'd find anywhere. The traffic was sparse, so I began pulling to the side of the road and snapping pictures. I loved this old steel clad silo:

I pass this "Boat Barn" often. It used to have boats stored outside, but I saw none this time. Perhaps they quit the boat storage business:

This old house had broken windows and an open door. If it hadn't been right at a main intersection, I might have investigated:

This barn was next to the abandoned house, so I assumed it was once part of a busy farm:

There were several very old barns with no glass in their windows, leading me to believe they were no longer being used - except perhaps for storage:

Another old barn with wide open windows. I'll bet the pigeons love it:

This barn was large and imposing. It was also well maintained and impressive. Note the milk room, silo, grain bin and other sheds. That shed with the red doors looked downright historic, though with a new roof, doors and window:

A very large dairy barn:

And an old garage. I'd guess that it was once an auto mechanic's shop:

Another old barn. The snow had been plowed in front of it, so it must have been used for something, but apparently not for livestock:

A busy farm, and what I assumed to be a dairy barn. But I was just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

NYS Franklin County Route 7, A Scenic Tour

Our wintry weather continued to hold off and the day's forecast called for rain instead of snow yet again. I decided to take a driving tour and headed east on NYS Route 11 into Franklin County, where I turned south onto County Route 7 in the town of Brushton. It was a lovely, scenic, rural road with history everywhere in evidence:

There were farm homes surrounded by fields and woodsy homes surrounded by trees:

Homes with many additions and extensions to accommodate a growing family:

The above home had these play houses/storage sheds in the back yard - not to mention the old wagon wheel, leaning against a tree, a picnic table and a tent. This is family life in the country:

A very small and very old cabin which no doubt once was home to a farm family:

This old home still seemed to have its original, historic front door:

A lovely old silo and barn, whose roof had been kept in good repair:

This appeared to be someone's former home and barn. It sat alone in a field, exuding history:

Two old concrete silos, one without a roof, and a row of hay bales which also appeared quite old:

I suppose this was once an equipment shed or horse barn. It's hard to tell now, as it sat alone in the rust colored grass:

These appeared to be two modern equipment barns, perhaps belonging to the town or county, but I saw no signs and no activity:

I saw this old home just before the road ended at NYS Route 11B. It did not appear to be inhabited anymore, with the owners living next door in the mobile home, but like the other old homes and barns, it evoked a history which is not as distant as some would suppose. But the day was young, so I decided to do more touring. I'll post about that tomorrow:

Chapter 4 - Amazing Peru Street, In The Town Of Lawrence, New York

Peru Street took me north from Route 11B to Route 11, a distance of about 4 miles. I was nearing the end of the road and still enjoying every scenic moment of it. I passed this creek, swollen from the melting snow:

This farm house had several huge old trees out front but I never noticed what kind they were. Now, looking at their trunks, I'm guessing they were Cottonwoods:

This home had an enclosed porch and a ramp:

A front entrance with a nice deck and lots of stairs:

This mobile home had a long ramp and was chartreuse, the color my mother painted our kitchen way back when. I still remember it:

A small white mobile home, a red mini-barn and lots of ice:

The sign said "Willis H Thomas" and apparently was once an auto repair shop. Or maybe it still was, though I didn't see any activity:

Lots of windows, used to enclose their porch:

A friendly, well cared for horse with a blanket to keep him warm:

The last home, at the northern end of Peru Street, was this mobile/modular (I often can't tell which is which):

But as I pulled out onto Route 11, I encountered this fun and colorful display, at the headquarters of Adirondack Storage Barns of Lawrence, New York. Lots of storage sheds, Adirondack chairs, gazebos and even a wooden train for the kids to play in:

This company surely catered to children, as evidenced by their other offerings of pirate ships and castles, built just for young minds and bodies. Peru Street had turned out to be one of my favorite driving tours yet, a road of friendly, rural beauty: