This week I was on the hunt for old barns and I found a few. So for the Saturday post of the “old” week, I’m going to post a very precious old barn. This barn was my grandfather’s and the farm is still in the family.

Old Family Barn

For the Friday picture of the “old” week, I decided on a close up shot of a barn door and the “Big 4” door hanger. By zooming in on the metal washer, I was able to read the company and name of the hanger. The old white barn that was on my home farm had these door hangers before the tornado took the barn down.

I found an advertisement in the November 1922 issue of the Building Age and Builders’ Journal for the Big 4.  Below is that ad.

“You Need the NATIONAL “Big 4” Flexible Door Hanger and “Braced Rail”

That barn – or similar job – that you are handling, calls for a heavy-duty Hanger and Rail; for an easily sliding door gives the stamp of the right construction to the whole building.

The Big-4 Flexible Door Hanger has as its keynotes Simplicity and Strength. Note its sturdy appearance in the illustration. Thousands of pairs in use for years in all sections of this country and Canada prove its Serviceability under varying conditions. Made entirely of steel and supplies with anti-friction-steel roller bearings, giving a perfectly free motion to the door.

Brace Rail: Millions of feet of this rail are in use and giving uniform satisfaction for these reasons: brackets only 12 inches apart and double riveted – giving extreme rigidity. The brace below the screws trebles the holding power of the screws. Brackets are same width and thickness as the rail itself, and holes are staggered so the screws will not go into the same grain of wood. A fitting companion for the Big-4 Hanger.

National Manufacturing Co., Sterling, Illinois”

So I wonder what year this “Big 4” was installed and how many times it rolled on the rail track.

The “Big 4” Door Hanger

Since I had an old windmill yesterday, I thought maybe this week would be an ‘old’ theme. And this barn fits right into the old theme, even though this view looks fairly good, the other sides have not fared as well since there are missing or broken boards.

Besides the old boards, the foundations of the older barns are interesting and vary from area to area, from round rocks in cement, to limestone rocks or all wooden foundations. And the function and location of doors vary so greatly too.

Rustic Old Brown Barn on Rock Foundation

Coming back from an appointment in town today, I took some back roads and I was on the lookout out for farm scenes that might be photogenic in the fall when the leaves turn. But there are some rustic barns that don’t need colorful leaves to make them stand out, especially when the sky is filled with a variety of clouds.

Rustic Wooden Barn