In the summer of 2010 and 2011 senior 4-H members formed a historical photography club to learn about the art of photography and several agricultural landmarks in the town of Erin.
The club has now taken these images and published two full colour coffee table books called Barns of Erin.
The project came into being as a result of leaders and members noticing the number of barns that were no longer useable, had fallen into disrepair or were being removed from the rural properties in the area.
Since so many of the historical barns in Erin are among these architectural wonders of the past the books have become a portrait of these structures as they appeared in 2010-11.
Each book is a compilation of the club’s pictures, laid out for press by Jessica Holder, 4-H member.
Those property owners whose barns did not appear in the first publication may be pleased to find that the 2011 edition has a picture or two of their barn.
Access to the properties presented a challenge for 4-H members were unable to contact the owners of the barns, to gain permission. In those cases, the barns were photographed from the public roadways and identified by emergency number.
4-H members who were able to speak with the property owners gained historical research and personal stories about the barn structures, which they were able to include with the images.
Both books emphasize the , pictorial aesthetics and composition of the photographs, rather than historical documentation of the buildings.
This spring, local quilt artist Pat Dauphinee presented the 4-H club with a quilted wall hanging featuring 12 of the barns featured in the first book.
This quilt is currently hanging in McKinnon’s Timbrmart at the south end of Hillsburgh.
Barns of Erin can be purchased for $30 at McKinnon’s Timbrmart and the Wellington County Museum or by calling 519-855-4201.
