I’VE VIEWED PLENTY of time-worn, dilapidated barns in my travels through rural regions.
But never have I spotted one quite like this mammoth barn along Redwood County Road 6 south of Delhi. For those of you unfamiliar with Delhi, a community of some 70 residents in southwestern Minnesota, the name is pronounced Dell-hi. Not (New) Delly, as in the capital city of India.
The state of this barn struck me for its final fortitude, its seeming determination to hang on even with bones exposed, its very soul ripped away.
One can only imagine the previous condition of this barn, the proud farmer who walked through her doors, the cows, and perhaps swine, once housed inside.
Now, instead, a black hole marks a side doorway, a front doorway is barricaded by wood, the hay mow door hangs like a loose tooth.
Heaps of hay still remain, heaved there years ago by some hardworking farmer.
I am always saddened by this decay of an agrarian structure.
What stories does this building hold? Who labored here? What brought about this barn’s demise, marked now by a grain truck gravestone?
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
It looks so sturdy at the base – too bad…
I noticed that, too, the sturdy foundation.
My dad was a lad when he and my grandpa built the barn that still stands on the old home place up north in Itasca County. The demise of barns is for me a very visual symbol of cultural change—once such an important part of farm life, such a symbol of pride (many men took more pride in the appearance of their barn than their home), such a hub of activity, the barn no longer breathes, no longer cradles life, has been passed by by a culture that has shifted focus, technology, goals, ways of life. Barns are expensive to keep up. As a newlywed, I lived on a place with two post-and-beam barns, hand-hewn logs, wooden pegs holding them together. We had no money to fix them and this bothered me to no end. We took out insurance on the better one and I was happy, so happy when a storm damaged the roof and Farmer’s Insurance paid for a new metal roof. Where I live now, we’ve put in cables across the mow to pull the sides of our 1940s-era barn back in from bowing out. I wish I had a kajillion dollars to go ’round the countryside funding repair and recovery of old barns. Our heritage slips away before our eyes. Thank you for showing us this part of ourselves.
You summarize so well, and quite poetically, I might add, the life of a barn. Thanks for your efforts to upkeep the barn on your place. And, yes, it is cost which likely keeps many of these farmers from affording to maintain their barns.
These pictures always make me a bit sad—I think about how it got to that point that those in charge could no longer take care of it and had to just let it go. I have seen a lot of barns like this in Ohio, also, so they seem to be everywhere.
Yes, sadly, all too many barns are falling into heaps of rotting wood.
Funny the door to the hay loft brings back a flood of childhood memories. Such a sad demise to a beautiful old building.
Memories washed over me, too, when I saw this barn.
so sad, those old wooden structures really do need care.. c
Yes, they do. But it takes so much money, so much money…
My Grandpa would have loved to have the wood and the cement blocks to reuse. He probably would have kept the nails too. There is a lot of materials on that barn that could be reused. He was that kind of guy and so is my dad. Hard to see a barn go to waste. Thanks so much for sharing – love the wording of your post too 🙂 Happy Day!
Thanks, Renee. Your grandpa and dad had it so right to reuse. There are businesses out there that specialize in harvesting the reusable portions of old barns and then repurposing. I bet there are portions of this one which could be saved.
So, Audrey, do you know the origin of the name of Delhi, MN, where one of my high school friends lived?
I don’t, Ken. Do you? Perhaps I will need to do a bit of googling.
Watch for a photo essay of Delhi tomorrow.
It is heartbreaking! I remember having torn down the greenhouse at my great grandparents place. I wish I would have taken a picture of at least, “Brink’s Greenhouse”.
We all have regrets about “should have.” At least you have memories.
I love this photo! Could it have been a tornado that so tore it I wonder? Very neat.
That thought of a tornado did pass through my mind as a twister touched down in nearby Belview a few years ago. I really like this shot, too, taken as we were driving past this farm site.
One of the saddest things for me is to see these “original” old barns fall, mostly because I know they wont be replaced…the new barn is nothing like the old. Rick and I went on a road trip today and a few that were falling in and tipping over, not a good sight
I’ve heard that once animals vacate a barn, the building starts to fall apart. Something about the humidity, etc., and probably the care given the structure. Looking forward to images from your road trip.
I had never heard that before Audrey. You learn something new everyday!
That we should always learn something new every day, huh?
We used to fish up around Delhi on the Minnesota River. That barn is surreal looking. Sad to see it go.
You and I have seen a lot of barns, haven’t we? This one, by far, has to be the most unusual looking one in the process of decay.
How near is the Minnesota River to Delhi? Can’t be more than maybe a few miles, right?
It’s not far. About 5 miles or less I think. As I recall the bridge across the river was one of the steel trestle types. Probably replaced by now.
Additional exploration of that area north of Delhi will be required.
It looks like that in its day, this barn would have been a beautiful, majestic building. What a shame it’s been left to go to ruin. I’d love to see it restored xx
Unfortunately, this barn appears beyond restoration.