A Rare Find Bank barns dotted the landscapes of my childhood. Family farms consisted of a home, bank barn, shed/workshop and 100 acres. Over the years farming has changed and bank barns are no longer a necessary part of the farm. Most bank barns have not been maintained and in a state of disrepair have collapsed or been taken down. I was privileged to tour this bank barn. The previous owners were hobby farmers and chose to maintain the barn to its current state. Walls, floors and beams were all replaced with new lumber making it structurally sound. A few horses were kept downstairs, with hay and straw stored upstairs. The current owner is undecided on the use of the barn as he is a cash crop farmer with a full time job off the farm. As I tour the barn's upstairs, the swing rope and wooden ladders, remind me of simpler times. The smell of hay and straw fills my nostrils with a sweet aroma. Somewhere downstairs a barn door bangs against a door frame as a gust of wind catches it. Water drips from a tap into the water trough. A pigeon coos from a beam in the middle of the barn. A rusty hammer left years ago hangs on a bent nail. Left by weathered hands in days gone by. My finger tips become cold as I snap photos with my camera. I shed a single tear for times gone by and smile for the future. The bank barn, a piece of history and a rare find.