On the outside, there’s often a mix of weathered wood, rusted metal, and red paint.
Hidden inside are hand-hewn beams from another era, when trees were tall and wide, and without the aid of power tools, Nova Scotian families and horses raised buildings that have withstood storms and years.
Some still stand straight. Others are on the verge of collapse– a fragile reminder of a strong rural past.
These aren’t pretty buildings…certainly not ornate, but there is a beauty to them. At least the members of the Barns of Nova Scotia Facebook page believe so.
This social media group has more than 4,000 members who share photos of barns from throughout the province. The photos are taken by both amateur and professional photographers who all have an appreciation for the beauty in the buildings.
“I think part of it for me is the artistry of the barns and how many of them were handcrafted by the farmers,” says Angie Larkin-Turner of Pictou County. “I think they are a living beautiful piece of artwork.”
But she believes there’s a bit of nostalgia to it as well.
“When you think of farms and barns you think back to your childhood,” she said. “I get a whole bunch of emotions.”
Larkin-Turner personally spent many summers with a family friend on a goat farm in Havre Boucher.
“Some of my best childhood memories are in the barn.”
She can still recall the feeling of climbing on top of a haystack and jumping down below.
Larkin-Turner has been a member of the Barns of Nova Scotia group for about a year. She’s an amateur photographer who was taking pictures of barn scenes for other social media pages when someone told her about the Barns of Nova Scotia page.
One of her favourite places to photograph is a farm near Green Hill.
“The location is amazing in terms of backdrop. It’s a beautiful panoramic view …Then it’s just a little tiny barn and it looks so perfect.”
Jim Cuvelier of Lawrencetown is another person who has caught the fever of photographing barns.
While he only joined the group a year and a half ago, he has had a lifelong love of barns and has been taking pictures as a hobbyist for much of his adult life.
He traces his infatuation with barns to his childhood and summers spent at a farm in P.E.I.
“It was incredible as children to spend time in the barn with animals,” he said. “It was a giant building.”
For a kid, there’s something magical about that hasn’t left him even now at 72.
Cuvelier was a teacher and spent time in classrooms along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. He enjoys exploring this region now in search of barns.
“It’s a great experience just to get to know different parts of the province,” he said.
He personally loves finding barns that others haven’t photographed before.
Whenever possible he will pull his car over and whenever possible asks permission to take the pictures. While most people are quite happy to oblige, he said he has run into some who don’t want photos of the barn posted publically.
When taking the picture, he personally believes in keeping the barn as the main focus, but does incorporate a bit of the surrounding area – dirt roads, hay, and broken windows.
“I think each barn probably has a unique story from the area. How it was built. Who built it,” he said.
One of the most unique stories he found while photographing was of a barn in East Jeddore. When he pulled over to take the picture, there was a couple sitting on the porch of the house who welcomed him and told him how the barn was one of three that had been built with wood from a sunken ship in Jeddore Harbour.
While he’d love to be able to take pictures of the interior of barns, Cuvelier said that’s not often possible.
“I can just imagine the possibilities inside.”
But even on the outside, he believes they’re picture perfect.
“They have their own beauty.”
