A Salute to Farmers
Web site saves disappearing rural structures in cyberspace
KEVIN MCCLINTOCK GateHouse Plus

The American barn and other rural structures may be disappearing from the landscape. Barns and rural structures preserved in cyberspace, however, is another story entirely.

Barn enthusiasts, particularly those fond of the so-called "round barns," will love the Web site www.Dalejaytravis.com, which features pictures and locations of round barns, buildings and homes, as well as old mills and covered bridges, in nearly every U.S. state.

For those who wouldn't mind hopping into their cars and motoring about the state in search of these structures, rejoice. The Web site shows precise locations (as well as help from Mapquest when the link inside each short biography is clicked), of each circular structure.

For example, there are 17 barns, 28 bridges, five houses and 35 buildings in Missouri. Nationwide, the site has totaled nearly 800 barns, 1,859 bridges, nearly 400 houses and 452 buildings.

For two centuries, barns have stood as a symbol of hard work and a rural way of life.

But that era is rapidly disappearing. These simple structures that dot the countryside across the Midwest are becoming victims of decay, suburban sprawl, changes in farming practices and a growing trend to use old barn wood in new "rustic" buildings.

The United States had 6.5 million farms in 1920. There were about 2.2 million farms in 2000. Including barns that survive on defunct farms, there are only 3 million barns nationwide.