The Hughes Dairy Barn, circa 1950's
Donna has been working for many years to restore her Grandaddy's old Dairy Barn. It has come a long way!
It was built with a ramp of dirt, to easily drop off loads of hay. The Barn will hold 5 thousand bales of hay. During the operation of the Dairy Farm, her Grandpa kept that many bales in it, full time. The cows lived underneath.
As a child, Donna remembers climbing to the top of the hay to touch the ceiling, and hanging out there during the rains to hear the rain on the old tin roof. This was the playhouse of all the cousins. They put up a basketball goal in the Barn, which is still there.
The smaller building was where the cows were milked. Donna's Daddy & his Brother remembered getting up at 4 or 5am to milk the cows before school, and also when they got home. The old stocks in the milk barn are still in place.
The Barn has been" Home" to many Belgian horses & riding horses through the years.
The Family has an event or two here every year for friends & neighbors, with Bluegrass Music, Food, Cornhole & a Hayride!
Her Grandpa would be proud!
There are two cow weathervanes on each end of the Barn Roof. They have withstood many gale force winds & storms, & still function perfectly, after more than 70 years.
Doc & Dan enjoying a snow day on the Farm.
the hughes barn
"The Barge Rafters had rotted, and we were likely a few storms away from the roof starting to come off. The windows were broken, the doors had fallen off, all now repaired. Vines & aggressive hedges had overgrown the structures, and began compromising major components. There was an old majestic looking silo, but it had become fractured. I paid someone to patch it with mortar, but ultimately decided the safety risk was not worth it, and had it taken down.
The Buildings badly needed painting. There was a hanging wire running from the Barn, to the family home (as the main source of electricity) that had frayed and started looking dangerous. The roof is original, and leaked in a number of places. We had the same crew who got the Millikan Farms Wedding Venue Barn Roof to stop leaking, come help ours. With a lot of hard work & determination, the Barn is now returned to its former glory.
Well Built with wooden trusses and steel beams, we hope the Hughes Barn is here for many years to come. We don't know what Grampa would think of all the party lights, but he would sure be glad we are maintaining this work of art that he designed with pride. Beautiful golden sunsets, white sparkling glittery snows, dark & dramatic storm clouds, & endless days of hot sunny green summer fields. We love our Barn! Thank you Grampa!"
some before and afters
