Life in Christian County, Kentucky... The Rural Life...
In evening light
In morning lightTwo old barns stand alongside a gentle curve on Edwards Mill Road, east of Hopkinsville. I am sure that Edwards Mill Road was there long before the barns were built. Nowadays, the road is paved, but when the barns were built, it was undoubtedly a dirt road that was very muddy every spring.
The road in front of these barns once led to Edwards' Mill which was located on the Little River. The official name of the mill was "Little River Mills", but people called it "Edwards' Mill" because it was owned and operated by the Edwards family.
Edwards' Mill was built in 1837 and it operated until 1922 when the mill burned. Before Edwards' Mill, a grist mill operated in the same location. It was built in 1800. So I am sure there has been a road through this field for a couple of centuries now.
Source of the above historic information: Gateway from the Past, Volume II: A Pictorial History of Hopkinsville and Christian County, KY Since 1865, compiled by William Turner. (The publishing date, etc. is not clearly cited.)
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UPDATE
I went back this evening and took this photo again with the barns facing the sun. I like the evening photo better, but I'll leave them both in place for the sake of comparison.
Related post:
Buildings Are Not Forever
6 comments:
I really like this image - a simple but effective composition that works.
John
Thank you, John, and bless your heart for suggesting that I have technique. :)
The barns are beautiful because of your photos! I really like the evening light.
If farm buildings were like antique furniture or paintings, some of them would be called "primitives". The farmer had an idea what he needed, and he built it as well as he was able.
The barn on the right side of the photo has an odd shape. It looks like it was originally a classic Kentucky tobacco barn and then they decided to tack a very long shed onto one side of it.
Thank you for these photos, and especially for the info. on Edwards Mill. My husband, Troy Edwards is a direct descendant of James Edwards who owned the mill. Because of your article, I was able to find William Turner, and his abundant knowledge about the mill, and the history of my husband's wonderful family. Thank you for capturing some of Hopkinsville's rich beauty and history.
Thank you, Laura, for taking time to let me know the information was helpful to you. I'm glad you were able to learn some of your family history. (Your family as well as your husband's family!)
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