A Newlin Barn
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recently we visited family in Silk Hope, North Carolina where my husband, Randy, grew up. His family has farmed in that area since the mid-1700’s, up until my father-in-law retired three years ago.
This barn was built on the family farm back in 1944. It’s one of my favorite sights in Silk Hope. Set beside a winding country road, it marks the place where many a hay bale has been thrown.
Around those parts it’s called a Newlin barn, named after the builder Harvey Newlin. Harvey was a Quaker from nearby Eli Whitney, NC. His work can be seen peppering the landscapes throughout the area. My father-in-law says Harvey would show up, and doing all the math in his head, could tell you what supplies, down to the nail, would be needed to build the desired structure.
The barn is a lesson in symmetry. And for that, Harvey and I would have gotten along real well. I like things even.
I love the textures…
The tones…
The angles.
And I’m sure, if it could talk, I’d enjoy the tales it could tell too.
This day it was bitter cold, but Randy remembers many a hot day loading the barn with hay, and playing games with his brothers and cousins behind the bales.
This barn is solid.
And while it still stores a few hay bales today, primarily for me it stands as a work of art, a piece of history.
That Harvey Newlin done good.
He done real good.
.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful!
I love that barn. The structure is just filled with a sense of history. Your photos are gorgeous, and invoke such nostalgia. I love it!
gorgeous, does it have floors or is it all open like it looks inside?
Beautiful structure, beautiful photos!
Love the photos. On the farm in Iowa where I grew up the barn was slightly different but still just as large and just as “barn lovely”!. When it was near empty the haymow (upper flower) provided many an afternoon of entertainment…roller skating (on rough boards!), basketball, hunting for the latest batch of kittens hidden somewhere amongst the remaining hay where they could be heard mewing when Mamma left the nest. Sadly, our barn burned down some years after the farm buildings became empty.
Simply beautiful, Amy! On our family travels around the US, we always brake for old barns and have even been known to sneak into them without asking just to take a look around. Their typically gorgeous post and beam construction, the collaborative spirit that so often went into their construction, and their connection to our American family farm heritage just always seems to resonate.
This is such an awesome post! I so enjoyed reading it. That barn is just wonderful. I love the look of it and the setting is so beautiful. I am new to your blog and I am so glad that I found it.
These pictures are so beautiful. It made me a so nostalgic. My dad grew up in the mid-west and my grandfather’s hobby was taking pictures of old barns and then doing elaborate oil paintings from the snap shots. Thank you for the lovely photos and the sweet memories 🙂
Better perserve it by giving it a coat of paint. Love old barns also, but it needs some upkeep to keep it looking good.
GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!! How many times do I need to say more so that u can understand how excited I am to see these photos?! Wondering where the hell was I before? Have know u for months now n only I get to know what a beautiful n talented photographer u are!
soo glad to find your blog! thanks to twitter .. you are such an amazing amazing photographer .. WOW .. just WOW ..
I am a new blogger and still learning about photography .. have to say it almost like an addiction .. a beautiful one 🙂
just came across this through tasty kitchen and my word – I was born in Siler City and grew up in Chapel Hill. I’m in NJ now but fiercely miss NC. Thanks for a piece of home and the gorgeous photos. I am looking forward to exploring your blog!
Poetry in photography, you capture the quiet splendor and symmetry of the place. Thank you
Really great photos!! Love them…
Build me a barn please
This is beautiful… I could see living in this : )
That is simply beautiful!
Amy,
Because I am on the Newlin Reunion email list, I received the link to your blog and the pictures and comments around last Christmas about the Newlin barn. I also understand that it is part of Russell Johnson’s homeplace. I am also Past President of Silk Hope Ruritan Club and chair of the Program Book committee. Could we get permission to use (some) of the pictures and (some) of the commentary in this or perhaps some future year’s Program Book? If permission is granted, to whom should we give proper credit?
I was pastor of Chatham Friends some years ago and became acquainted with Burton and Alfred Newlin and their families. Sadly, Mr. Harvey (Sr) died several years before I moved to that area. I did know his brother, Algie Inman Newlin, who taught history at Guilford College, and a sister, “Ila” N. Braxton, who is buried at Center UMC.
Awesome barn shots! Awesome barn!
Had a letter recently from my friend in North Carolina. She was/is a granddaughter of Harvey Newlin. When I was a little girl, Harvey used to visit my Grandparents in Ohio. I love looking at photos of these barns. Harvey was a very special person as well as a skilled builder.
Marjorie (Hall) Lamb – now living in Ireland
So nice to hear from you Marjorie. Harvey was definitely a talented man.