I love the red barns of the countryside in may part of the USA. Many of them are faded with vestiges of the once bright exteriors that they must have boasted.
I often wondered why that particular color was used so ubiquitously. Especially, after seeing barns of other colors, for example the charcoal of Kentucky tobacco barns.
It occurred that my readers might be curious, too.
Why Are Barns Red?
The answer holds a lot of history, basically it goes like this:
“by the late 1700s, the art of wood seasoning gave way to the art of artificial preservation. Virginia farmers were the first to become paint-conscious. In Pennsylvania, the Dutch settlements latched on to the custom of red bricks, red barns, red geraniums, even reddish-brown cows. When a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer added big ornamental designs to barns, “just for luck,” he was accused of designing a hex sign to frighten the devil. Many old-timers sneered at their neighbors’ newly painted barns and accused them of copying “those superstitious Germans of Pennsylvania.”
But color caught on.
“….The belief that barn red originated with American Indians actually has some foundation. Records indicate that, in accordance with an old American Indian custom, farm stock blood was indeed mixed with milk and used for staining interior surfaces. A pigment called “Indian Red” was made from clay mixed with whites of wild turkey eggs. Turkey blood was added to provide a deep mahogany shade. Stains using blood were not, however, suitable for outdoor use.
Red has remained the traditional color for most American barns, particularly in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States.”
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crossposted @ Ilona’s Reflecting Pool
