-Hi, I'm -Eric Ford for Made Here.

-A remarkable story of past -and present -vanish, disappearing icons -of a rural America.

-Chronicles -the visual preservation -adventures of the Shelburne, -Vermont -filmmaker and photographer -Jim Westphalen -as he travels -across the country -seeking out and creating -stunning imagery -of America's disappearing -rural structures.

-You can watch vanish and -other great made here films -streaming on our website -and through the PBS app.

-Enjoy the film -and thanks for watching.

-It's 730 -on a Saturday morning, -and I'm headed north -to the town of Sheldon, -Vermont, -to photograph this little -19th century Camborne, -which is all that's left of -what was once -a thriving rail station -and farm complex.

-The original compound -was built around 1850 -on the old Missisquoi -Valley Railroad line.

-And from what -I've been told, -there was a cattle yard -and milking -barns, a farmhouse -and a carriage barn, an inn.

-And then, of course, -the train station itself.

-Then in 1910, a -spark from a passing train -ignited -a fire that destroyed all -about this one -little cow barn.

-My love for the country -was kindled early on.

-While -visiting my grandmother.

-Each summer in the Poconos -of Pennsylvania.

-Warm afternoons -fishing for sunnies -in the pond near -the one room schoolhouse -that my grandmother attended -when she was just a girl.

-She taught me how to fish -with a stick and a string, -and a bent safety pin -tied on the end.

-Listening for the horses -in the distance.

-As we waited for -the hay wagon to pull up -in front of the lodge -that my grandparents owned.

-My siblings -and I sitting on scratchy -hay bales as the team -slowly pulled us up the road -to the top of Sunset Hill, -where we'd watch the -lightning bugs come alive.

-Spending endless hours -playing in the field -behind my grandmother's -house.

-Sunup to sundown.

-Dreaming up adventures -and letting my imagination -run wild.

-The decades passed.

-And while I got busy -raising a family, -building a business -and making a life.

-That strong pull -of country never left me.

-So in -1996, in a leap of faith, -we pulled the trigger -and moved from suburban -Long Island to the beautiful -state of Vermont.

-Lush green mountains -and clear lakes.

-Rolling hills -dotted with farms and barns.

-Wide open spaces -and a simpler way of life.

-Heaven -to a kid from suburbia.

-To exploring the backroads.

-I immediately found myself -falling in love -with all the old barns -and photographing them.

-Any chance I'd get.

-But there was this -disturbing trend.

-I'd be driving down -the same country road -I driven a dozen times.

-Come upon a pile of rubble -and then realize -there used to be a barn -there.

-Sadly, this was becoming -a theme in my travels.

-I'd shake my head -and wonder, -am I the only -one who cares about this?

-All too often I'd find -some beautiful old structure -that I'd planned -to photograph, -but maybe it wasn't -the right season -or the right light.

-So I go back some months, -or sometimes -even just weeks later, -only to find ruin.

You.

-And when I get to poke -around -one of these worn out -beauties, -it's like a treasure hunt.

-As I look for clues.

-How many years ago was this -built and how was it used?

-Who were the people -who spent their days here?

-And if I close my eyes -and take in the smell -of old hay, or perhaps that -lingering scent of a horse, -I can almost hear -the lowing of the cows, -the sigh of that horse.

-Whispers from the past.

-There's this sadness -I feel not only for yet -another piece -of American history -that gave way to time, but -for the people themselves.

-The people and families -who built their lives -around these structures, -for their -hopes, for their dreams.

-Whenever we have objects -that we can all recognize -as being something -from grandparents -and great grandparents -generation, -it begins to, create -a kind of visual connective -tissue in our minds -about what -the landscape used to be.

-What used to be -on that corner, -what used to be -in that field.

-And whenever we start -that thought process -rolling, it leads us to a, -you know, a sense of loss, -a sense of longing, -a sense of interest -in what was here.

-And it becomes a call -to arms as -as I started sharing these -images here in Vermont.

-I began to wonder -if there was actually -a much bigger picture here.

-So starting -with the Plains of Montana, -I'd set out to discover -this for myself, -searching for all those -iconic rural structures -that our country's -heritage was built upon, -and capture the aging beauty -of as many as possible -before they completely -vanished -from the American landscape.

-This is -how varnish was born.

-If you just pause for -a moment and look closely.

-There is such remarkable -beauty -in these fading structures.

-It's a personality -and a character -that only comes -with the passage of time.

-Whether it's the rich -patina of a rusted tin roof.

-Peeling paint on faded -clapboard.

-The silent gaze of a prairie -church.

-Long forgotten.

-The gentle sway -of a sagging porch.

-The muted colors -of a weathered slate roof.

-The textures and delicate -puzzle of a stone foundation -that.

-The serenity of a barn.

-Sleeping in winter.

-The play of light through -slats of a tattered roof.

-The dry grasses that caress -a weary homestead.

-Or the testaments to faith -of past generations.

-It's just impossible -not to see the beauty, -the beauty and decay.

-And as I stand -with my camera and countless -overgrown fields, -I swear I can still see -the shadow of the people -who built -upon the land.

And.

-After all, weren't -all these structures -once a part of someone's -dream?

-They.

Be.

-I'm passionate -about the preservation -of the Glendale farm barns.

-When we lived in -Scotland, -Judy and I would visit -stately properties and note -that many of them had -these -purposeless structures.

-And they were called -follies.

-Judy refers to the barns -as jacks, violins.

-So this is the English barn -that we were talking about.

-And you can see -the construction, -the joinery -that makes it -very distinctive -as 18th century -New England barn.

-When we bought the barns, -the manure.

-Was up to here.

-We originally -just purchased the house -and the carriage barn, -which is the first barn -in the front.

-The other three barns, -there are four barns -in the complex.

-The other three barns -had been kept -with the working -agricultural land.

-After we had lived here for -about 15 years.

-The barns -were no longer in use -and they were not in good -condition.

-And the property -line at that point ran -actually -right through this structure -where I'm -sitting.

-We were offered -the opportunity -to purchase -the other three barns.

-I couldn't -imagine them ever having -been torn down.

-State barn -grant program began in 1993 -and we were -one of the first applicants.

-And that was based -on a study that Tom Visser -did an architectural -conservation assessment -of the barns.

-There he is.

-Hey there.

-Tom.

It's -good to see you, Joe.

-Just.

Wow.

Your husband.

-When we did this research -project, gosh, -over 20 years ago -here at, Glendale Farms, -the first strategy was to do -what we call a condition -assessment -of this complex of barns.

-The first question was, -where is that evidence -of active deterioration?

-What are the most pressing -needs -in order to be able -to preserve the structures, -to maintain their use, -even if it's just storage, -at as economical manner -as possible?

-What's amazing, -of course, about this -is that -you were so fortunate -that there is that 1870s -picture of the barns, -and to be able to have -that sort of -pictorial evidence combined -with the physical evidence, -and then work -with the craftspeople to do -the restoration of them, -is really something special.

-What is so remarkable -about what we have here -at Glendale Farm today is -the work that Jack has done -to maintain these buildings -over more than two decades.

-It's been incremental.

-It's been step by step.

-They're here.

-They have the patina, -they have the character, -and they have the integrity.

-And this is just an amazing -testament to this continued -effort to keep what is here, -keep, keep it standing.

-And it -provides -a not only a sense of place, -but it's also a place of -meaning for us all.

-Hard for me to know -what the future of Glendale -Farm will be.

-in the best world it will be -taken over by someone -who has a similar interest -in maintaining, preserving -these iconic structures.

-I don't know -what will happen.

-I have my hopes -and dreams, but -that's all I have.

-The project poses -some obvious challenges, -the first of which is simply -finding these structures.

-Do a search on abandoned -structures or old barns, -and you won't believe -how many you'll find.

-And it's mind boggling -what can be seen -from a satellite 400 miles -above the Earth.

-Talking with the locals -is a great resource as well.

-I've met some of the nicest -people in my travels, -and once I tell them a bit -about the project, -they're always -willing to help.

-You can tell me.

-I'm looking for, -I think they call it -the O'Neill ballroom.

-Sure.

-Do you know where that is?

-But all this is -only the first steps.

-It always comes down -to boots on the ground.

-And that means -driving a lot of driving.

-Americans -have a somewhat vexed -understanding of history -in the past.

-We have a complicated -relationship with the past.

-We always like to think -we're heading -for the frontier, -for the next thing.

-We're forward leaning.

-We sometimes don't want -to be defined by our past.

-Interesting to me -how New England has played -such an organizing role -in the American imagination.

-But then, of course, over -time, -New England -gives way to Middle America.

-And then the promised land -of, you know, California.

-We're always where -we're at as a nation.

-We're always heading west.

-So again, -sitting in this field -for the last 2.5 hours or so -in pony, Montana, -and just waiting -for the light to happen -so I can photograph -this very cool -little stone -structure behind me.

-I have no idea what it is -or what it was used for, -but I got permission -from the rancher -to be on his land.

-And after I'm done here, -I will go down, -knock on his door -and see if he can -tell me something about it.

-So it turns out that -this beefy little structure -was called a powder house, -and was once -used to store the dynamite -for the nearby gold -and silver mines.

-And was -considered the road -less traveled.

-Oh, man.

-Knows.

-This.

-I can't help -but think about -all the settlers that up -and abandoned their -homesteads due to drought -or local economies -going bust, -just leaving their home -and land -along with their debts -behind.

-This windstorm -blew up out of nowhere, -and the temperature dropped -about 20 degrees -in ten minutes.

-And afterwards, -as I spent the two hours -getting the sand and grit -out of my camera, -not to mention -my hair and teeth, -I had to marvel at -how some of these structures -have been able -to withstand -such incredibly harsh -conditions -for nearly a century.

-Now, I consider myself a -total Boy Scout -when it comes -to getting permission -to be on someone's land.

-But if I can't find anyone -to ask -and the gate is open, -well then sometimes -it's shoot first -and ask questions later.

-And I'm not always this.

-I'd morning.

-Everybody loves -roadside tuna.

-Oh, yeah.

-We got our broccoli salad -and some kind of.

-I'll call this -mayonnaise salad, -but hopefully they'll dress -this up, though.

-But.

Oh, boy.

-Life on the road by fine -dining.

-Oh, man.

-Look at this.

-Those grain flumes -cribbed construction.

-Two by sixes on the flat.

-I can't even imagine -the weight -of this structure.

Wow.

-I would love to have seen -this place's -heyday.

-In.

New.

-It's been said -that the grain elevator -is to the farmer.

-As the lighthouse -is to the sailor.

-But as the 1980s -came to a close, -these old silos -were becoming -a thing of the past.

-Due to their -limited capacity, -they were abandoned -for larger -grain terminals -and bigger cities.

-The tracks were often -pulled up and repurposed, -leaving these prairie -sentinels as nostalgic -landmarks of the generations -that came before us.

-Just four -months after my visit here, -the late season wildfire -decimated the town -for close to 100 years.

-Grain elevators and silos -served as the skyline -for the small Montana -community of Denton.

-That was until that -raging fire -swept through the town, -burning as many as 26 homes -and countless -other structures -and leaving -those picturesque grain -elevators -in a steaming pile.

-I view the project -as equal parts -art history, anthropology, -and storm chasing.

-I'm always chasing -the weather.

-As I wander the prairie.

-And think about the courage -of these early settlers.

-How can I not -think about those -who roamed the land -before them?

-The town of Kremlin, -Montana, population -66, sits along what is known -as the High Line.

-Just a stone's throw -from the Canadian border.

-I had seen some intriguing -photos -of an abandoned prairie -church, but nowhere could -I find exactly where it was -located.

-The only information I had -was that it was just north -of this little town.

-When we -arrive in Kremlin, it -appears to be all -but deserted.

-But then I see a woman -stepping out of her house.

-I stop and ask her -if she knows anything at all -about the church, -and to my amazement, -she says, -you know, it -just so happens -I love photographing -old churches -and schoolhouses.

-Her husband -then proceeds to give us -country directions, like, -we'll go about -four miles that way -and you'll see a mailbox -on a pole.

-You follow that -to the rise in the road, -and then you'll go -about another three miles -or so past the dry riverbed.

-And then I go -a little ways more, -and then you make a left -back here.

-She says, oh, -yeah, this is the case for.

-15 miles of dirt road.

-And 30 minutes later, -I'm about to give up.

-When?

-Now that's Providence.

-Well, look at that.

-This is just remarkable.

-So this is where you gotta -watch out for the prairie -rattlers.

-Wow.

You can see -right from the left.

-Right up to the ridge.

-All the plaster is gone.

-All right.

-So how in the world -am I going -to find out who owns this?

-When it's all said and done, -I'm real grateful.

-I've traveled -all around the world, -and I always was real -glad to get back out here, -where it was quiet -and private.

-And I appreciated it -maybe a little more -as I've gotten older.

-When my elders arrived here -in, January of 1910 -and my great grandpa -was from Michigan, me, -my great grandmother -was, raised just right out -of Geneva, Switzerland, -and she had come over -with her family to America -to go to the World's -Fair and Saint Louis.

-And he was down there -buying cows, -and she came up to Michigan -with him.

-And they got wind of this, -Homestead act, -come out and homestead, -get the land.

-And it was advertised -that everything was real -promising.

-That's what was back east.

-And all the railway stations -and, you -know, to get people to come.

-And they bought that.

-People came.

-My great -grandpa came on a train -by himself with some cows, -chickens -and and a chicken coop.

-And he set up an army.

-Walt.

-And then my great grandma -followed -about six months later and, -got off the train -and Guilford -and walked out -from Guilford, out here -with the kids -and just walked out -across the prairie.

-So they and they made a good -go of it.

-The idea of the church -got started with a fella -by the name of Jacob -Brumbaugh.

-I guess he immigrated -straight from Germany, -took him about two -and a half years -to build the church, -and it was completed -in 1918.

-There was about 200 -original members.

-Yeah.

-There was -some of these -folks are the way -I understood it, that walked -every Sunday morning for 6 -or 7 miles to come to church -once.

-Happened to -have the, building receipts.

-There's three of them -from the carpenter -who was in charge -of building the church here.

-And the total bill, minus -the returns, was $2,437 -for this church building.

-And the most -astonishing thing -of all the items, as -I'm familiar with building, -is the seven foot two, -3.5ft wide, solid -fir doors, -almost two inches thick, -with six -panels, were $7 apiece, -and those doors today -are 4 to $500 -for the same door.

-And they got him in here.

-And yeah, -there's seven bucks and I, -I just thought, you know, -that's something else.

-$7 doors.

-For the most part, -most of this area -had vacated in the early 20s -because of dry weather.

-90% of -everybody left by about 22 -just soured a lot of -people's hopes and.

-For the last summer, -service was 1967.

-Then the church just sat -here, closed up, -boarded up till my grandma -and grandpa bought the land.

-And they have owned it -for the last 40 years.

-The notion of what -to do with this church -building -sure has been talked about -by the community -over the years, -and my mother -and aunt own the property, -and they've been approached -here.

-Folks wanted to buy -the building and move it -for whatever reasons they -were going to restore it.

-And the notion was that the -church needed to stay here -because in our faith, -the church is -the bride of Christ.

-So that idea of ever -selling the church here was, -just discounted -right away by my kinfolk -and the neighbors.

-It that that it isn't -a thing that's for sale.

-And it's up here.

-You know, -I has never been hit -by lightning and no fires.

-That is unusual.

-The power company tells me -that all the time.

-All right, I got call this.

-All right.

-We are out of here.

-Last winter, -my great grandfather's plant -finally blew over.

-And the church didn't -they clock the wind at, -like, 92 miles an hour.

-And that went on for about -five hours straight.

-And I thought, well, that -!church isnt going to make it.

-You know, cleared off.

-And, you know, -the church was standing, -the barn was gone.

-My family's involvement here -was primarily -faith centered.

-So would you say -the faith plays -a role in your own life?

-Oh, well, yeah.

It's huge.

-That's of all the, -trials.

-And I've been a lot of, -a lot of heartache -and sad times in that as, -that has what I do.

-Without my faith, -I wouldn't be here.

-And and that's, -that's been everything.

-Very much so.

-Now, while -I love making art -in my studio, -I always feel restless -knowing -that the clock is ticking.

-That with every passing day, -we're losing more -and more of these gems.

-I need to be out there -shooting.

-My work.

-I've always been drawn to -scriptures.

-Trying to make the through.

-I'm often asked, -who are the artists -that influenced me?

-Andrew Wyeth, -with the muted tones -of his egg temper -and watercolor paintings.

-Edward Hopper, -with his clean, hard -shadows -and strong geometric shapes.

-And my -dear friend Hal Johnson, -with his brooding skies -and remarkable detail.

-These are my mentors.

-My hope -is that those who acquire -my works -will not only be -visually moved, -but be touched -on an even deeper level -when reflecting upon the -history of these structures -and our American heritage.

-I think we all do it.

-And I'm -an old soul at heart.

-Even the camera -I use of vintage four -by five field camera.

-And aside from the quality -that this gives me, -there's just something -about using -this time tested tool -to capture the souls -of these timeworn buildings -that just feels right.

-We're living -in a dynamic landscape, -and there are buildings that -are here for a generation -or generations -which are no longer here, -and provide -a sense of the bones -in the landscape.

-This idea has a kind of, -ghost like quality.

-We know there was a building -there, and now it's gone.

-We know that -there's a building -that has a potential, -to be gone.

-It reminds me of the small -town that I grew up in.

-And people -always used to say, -oh, you make a right turn -where the barn used to be.

-I had past this -rather unique -three story chicken coop -many times in my travels.

-Its sides -were bowing outward, -and it had this meandering -swagger -traveled all along -its extended roofline.

-I had attempted -to photograph it -on several occasions, -but the conditions -were never quite right.

-Then, one great March day, -I captured what I thought -would be just the first of -many images I'd make.

There.

-But when I returned -only a few months later, -I found it had been deemed -a safety hazard, -and in the -midst of being demolished.

-I started -working on the farm here -when I was ten.

-My schedule for the day -was when I come home -from school.

-I change my clothes -and I come down to the farm -to go to work -picking eggs -or shoveling manure.

-I worked for my dad -all my life, so that's, -a big plus.

-You know, most people -don't have that opportunity.

-So I, you know, -I drove around, delivered -eggs with him, and and he'd -say, here's the slip.

-And if I go and rest, -I'll bring him the eggs.

-So we got that in.

-But as far as here, -this job was just, -you know, doing -the daily chores of feeding, -making sure -the birds had water and food -and the manure.

-My grandfather built -the chicken coops -in the late 30s, early 40s.

-That was the Aaronson farm.

-That's what it was called.

-My grandfather -did the hatching operation.

-My father took over -the business from him, -changed it to the table egg -business that it is today.

-The last birds left -this farm in '06 .

In -the prime of our business, -we ran about 15,000.

-It was considered -pretty good sized.

-The reason that we tore -that barn down -was primarily for safety.

-Once the birds left -the farm, the barns -began -to deteriorate over time, -and there wasn't any need -for me to put money back in -to a barn that I wasn't -using or couldn't -foresee using in the future.

-But, the local people, -a lot of them -want me to save them, -but and they want me -to continue farming -and continue it -the way it is.

-But economically, -that's not feasible.

-You can't get the help -they wanted more money -than I'm paying myself.

-And the other thing is, -with all the -businesses in town, -especially this store -next door, -it became very difficult -to run a farming operation -here with the smell -and the noise from -the neighbors, -with the stores -and the lights -and the birds were free.

-So they had -what they call hysteria, -which they would run -to a corner and pile up.

-And and the buildings -are all old and rundown.

-the other end -of that is the the realtors -or the developers that -come into here -and know this property -all want a piece of it, -or want it all to develop it -for their benefit, -for whatever it is, -whether it's condominiums -or a new big store -like the one next door, or -when the Grand Union -was next door.

-They approached my father -with buying -this whole place, -and he, looked at them -and said he wasn't -interested in filling -his suitcase full of money.

-The buildings -that are remaining, -the one we're in, was -the one of the first ones -that were built.

-That lumber -all came off the hill.

-My grandparents owned all -the land across the road.

-Now is in the early 40s.

-The hand cages -and the roofs -are all made the same time.

-The buildings were.

-The windows were there -for natural daylight?

Yes.

-All the new chicken coops -today -are all artificially lit.

-The manure came out -the front, -lugged the grain in there, -fed them by hand.

-The waters -were on a pipeline system.

-The two structures, that one -that was torn down was -three story.

-And this one is three story.

-That's the unique -part of this -farm.

-A few summers ago, -I happened upon -this deserted homestead -in Vermont.

-From the looks of the barn, -I imagine -it had been a dairy farm -at one time.

-These small family -farms are sadly becoming -a thing of the past.

-The simple fact is, either -they have to figure out -innovative ways to compete -with the big guys, -or abandon what might have -been generations of farming.

-Here's a sobering fact -in 1969, there were over -4000 dairy farms -in the state of Vermont.

-Now, just 50 short -years later, -there are less than 600.

-And as the farms -decline, the barns -and iconic structures -that were once -their backbone -often disappear as well.

-And.

Some weeks later, -I drive back to the area -to see if I can track down -someone who might know -something about the farm.

-I remember -passing a small house -about a mile down the road.

-So I pull up -and I knock on the door.

-It doesn't appear -that anyone is home, -but as I'm about to leave, -this woman pokes her -head out the window -and asks, what do you want?

-I ask her about the old farm -down the road -and she says, oh, -you mean the Russian farm?

-The Russian farm?

-She says she doesn't know -much about it, -but Farmer Harold -probably does.

-Back in the car, -I follow her -very specific directions -past the third cow -on the left type of thing, -and pull up to -this good sized dairy farm.

-I'm getting out of my car -when this huge -John Deere tractor pulls up, -a friendly looking guy -must be Harold climbs -down from the cab.

-I ask him about the farm, -and he gladly shares -some memories about -what was then -known as the Myrick farm.

-What do they call it?

-The Russian farm, I ask.

-He chuckles and says, -well, you'll need to talk -to old Bob Myrick -about that.

-He lives in the assisted -care residence up north.

-By this time -it's getting late, but -I decide to drive over there -anyway, -hoping I'm -in the right place.

-I make my way -to the reception desk -and ask the woman -if there is, in fact, -a Bob Myrick here.

-She nods as I give her my -spiel and asks me to wait.

-She disappears down the hall -and when she returns, -she says, -Bob will be happy -to chat with you, -but you're going to have -to wait.

-The Wheel of -Fortune is over, -so after about 15 minutes, -I'm escorted back -to Bob's room.

-I enter in this spry looking -90 something year old -greets me cordially, albeit -with a bit of caution.

-But once I start asking him -about the farm and the life -he built there, he becomes -relaxed and reflective, -transported to another time.

-Well, my -brother bought the farm -for my mother.

-After the death -of my father.

-My father died in 1950.

-And shortly thereafter, -my mother moved to -Burlington.

-But, you know, -it's amazing all the work -dad put in this house.

-So, yeah, -I think it was beautiful, -you know, but, yeah, -probably can't save it.

-Do you remember -the apple tree -that used to be here -that we supply?

-Yeah.

-I remember that -we had a large cow barn.

-We had a sheep shed.

-We had a granary, -a corn crib, an icehouse.

-Because, -we did not have electricity.

-When I was growing up.

-The very first original barn -was actually torn down.

-Correct?

Correct.

Yeah.

-And that was rebuilt by dad -and my oldest brothers, -Larry, Stan, Dana and Steve -and all of the concrete -was laid by hand.

-There was nothing.

-Oh, yeah.

-It was all mixed with a mix, -all mixed -with a mixer -and laid by hand.

-And that's -the way things were done.

-It seems like -there's something missing -on this end of the house, -because the tree, -there was a tree -right from the bush.

-We used to have huge -snowdrifts.

-We would build tunnels -and stuff.

-That was really a drift -up to the second story -of our house.

-We jump out the window under -the into the snow here.

-And I was the fourth child.

-We were all a year apart -the first four years.

-So I had three -older brothers.

-And the way it was back then -was the boys -worked on the farm -and the girls -worked in the house.

-We had the core -of the Soviet Union -and of course -a couple of weeks, probably -one strip and a story.

-Do you remember the force -I used to have back here?

-Caesar?

-Yep, yep.

-This is -the original farmhouse -I think the dad built first.

-Yep, yep.

-So what?

-That's -where somebody to count.

-Remember her?

-I know my dad -because she loved me.

-Scratch didn't -mean to scratch your head.

-She put her -head up and didn't -matter who it was.

-I just remember that -he named cows after us -girls.

-All the boys were expected -to go out in the barn -in the morning -before school, you know, -then clean up a little bit -and go to school.

-Then after school, -come back and work until -chores were done, -and then eat supper.

-And, and always used to -get me with -some kids at school -would say I didn't have time -to do my homework.

-And it's like, -you didn't have to go down -the barn when you got home -from school.

-I did -when I got a little older, -like 12 years old -or something.

-I don't remember, -but I, -I just remember saying, dad, -I don't like doing -housework.

-I would rather work -out in the barn.

-So he gave me a job -to do in the barn.

-He said, all right, -you can put the milk pails -together, -which they were all -pieces and parts, -and they had to be -put together before chores -every evening.

-And I lasted two days.

-I was done, I didnt wanna -do it anymore.

-One of my -biggest memories of dad -was his love for baseball.

-I mean, -he would sit out at night, -no shirt on, Budweiser -in his hand, his lawn chair, -listening for the Cardinals -every night.

-Listen on the radio.

-One of the things he said -is that there was nine kids.

-So we had a baseball team -and we used -to play ball out, fields.

-He was -an old fashioned farmer -where you don't get days -off, you're a farmer.

-But if you had a baseball -game, you played baseball.

-You didn't have to work.

-Baseball superseded it.

-So when the farm -sold in 1991 -to a Russian company -or corporation, -the intent was to bring -Russian students -over here, I think I believe -the Middlebury College.

-It was through, to learn -how to farm and then, -you know, go back to Russia.

-But with the fall of Soviet -Union, it never happened, -which was kind of sad -because it would have been -nice to see this -particular farm -remain operating as it was -right.

-The house was -a beautiful house.

-And to look at it now, -I mean, -it's it's just very sad.

-we sold, -the farm was pretty much -it was on me -because all my brothers, one -at the time, left the farm -and I was the last one.

-So I knew if I left, -the farm was done right.

-I made that decision -I needed.

-I want to do something -different.

-So that's -all I knew was farming, -and I wanted to see -what it was like out there.

-I have days off -and weekends off, -so that was that was the -hardest thing for me to do.

-That decision to make.

-Yeah.

-When, -my husband took me down here -to see this farm that he was -thinking of buying.

-And first of all, -I looked at the house, -and half of the roof of -the house was gone, -and I'm thinking, -there's no way I'm -bringing my mom up -from Brooklyn to see this.

-But then I looked -diagonally -over to this building, -and I looked at it -and I said, -my gosh, I think -that was a schoolhouse.

-And of course, -it wasn't recognizable -because it was a big square -in the front of the -building.

-The bank of windows has -the windows were gone, -you walked in, -the floors were all broken, -and it was completely off -the foundation.

-A story -that I was always told -was a farmer -used to use this land, -and he would use this -building -as a shed -to keep his machinery.

-So tractors were coming in -and out all the time, -and so clearly they didn't -value -it as what it once was.

-And I came in, thought -being a teacher.

-I love this building.

-I want to restore this.

-Paul and I -at the time had two children -and I was pregnant -with my third.

-So it was like, okay, -this kind of has to go on -the back burner for a while.

-It took us two years.

-I think we started -this project in 1970, -probably 7 or 79.

-Okay.

-And it took years because -we didn't have any money.

-We had zero money.

-Farmers.

-Farmers, you know, grain -bills had to be paid for.

-And now, -you know, Paul has a wife -that wants to restore this.

-Mary just uses the shed.

-My first phone call I made -was to our State Department, -and they came down, -and I said, -I want to restore this.

-Are the grants out there -for me to restore this?

-And they looked at it -and they looked at me -and they -said, just use it as a shed.

-And I -said, I love this building.

-I'm not going to keep it -as a shed.

-This building is the heart -and the soul -of our community.

-This is where they held -public discussions, voting, -any meetings -so teachers would get here -very early in the morning, -ride a horse, -come down here.

-If they didn't live -with the farmer.

-Because typically -the teacher, -from what I remember -you telling me -the teacher would always -live across the street close -because it was her -responsibility to come in -early in the morning -to heat up the building.

-The cupboard is original, -with the building -that was here on -the wall was untouched, -and that was the cupboard -that the teacher -would have put her belt -in at night for safekeeping.

-And of course, -there's two entrances, -because the boys -would come in on one side -and the ladies would come in -on the other side, -and girls would enter -the building first.

-Originally, -the school bell was on a -just a post, a wooden post -on the front -of this building.

-And when I started -to renovate this, -I wanted it to sing school.

-And the research showed -that depending on -how much money -community have, -they would have -had a belfry.

-So we put the belfry -up there, -but we put a rope on it -and we always tell people, -come out here, -when people stop, -you have to ring it -before you come here, -and then you got to ring it -when you leave.

You.

-My name is Laura Truman.

-I'm the Vermont State -historic preservation -officer and the director -of the Division -for Historic Preservation.

-The New Haven -Railroad depot wasn't -constructed until 1868.

-We know that -because there are newspaper -accounts -announced the construction -of a new brick depot -for New Haven.

-The New Haven depot -started really as cargo.

-There were multiple tracks -that surrounded the depot -on both sides.

-Passenger service, -of course, was beneficial -to the community, -bringing people up -to Burlington and down -to Middlebury and Vergennes.

-The depot was placed -on the National Register -of Historic Places -in October of 1978.

-Designed -in the Italianate style, -which is a very common -architectural style -for railroad depots -in the late 19th century.

-The story of the railroad -depot -becomes very interesting -after the Rutland -and Burlington Railroad -Company ceases -operations in 1961.

-For three years -after that, the building -just sat vacant -in the state of Vermont, -then took over the right of -ways and ownership -of a number of the depots -!along the line, including the Ne -So in 2015, -we took -a trip down to the depot -to meet with -the construction company -that was leasing it to talk -about renewing the lease, -to talk about the structural -needs of the building, -the maintenance -that needed to happen.

-That's when I started -hearing inklings that, well, -the trains are going to be -coming through more often, -and they're going to be -coming through faster.

-So for several years, -I kept trying to find out -more definitively -when the trains -were coming in faster, -how fast were they going?

-What was this going to do -to our building?

-In December of 2020, -I got the letter -from the Agency -of Transportation saying, -this building is blocking -the sightlines -to the intersection.

-So we knew we had to do -something quickly.

-And the Agency -of Transportation partnered -with us to figure out -the future of the building.

-They were very -optimistic and hopeful that -the building could be saved -and relocated.

-I was probably the one -that said -in the back of my mind, -I need to be prepared.

-If demolition -is the final alternative.

-So it wasn't -until January of 2021 -that we reached out -to the town and said, okay, -we've got to move quickly.

-In January of this year, -I was chairman -of the Selectboard and, -tenants that were currently -here at that point in time -notified us -that they had been, -told that they needed -to be vacated out of here -by June -because this building -was either going -to get moved or tore down.

-So, that just kind of like, -where did this -all come from -all of a sudden?

-This I mean, why didn't -we know this ahead of time?

-And so we started digging -into it a little bit.

-And after talking -to a number of people, -there'd been discussion -through V trans Amtrak -and them for five years -that this building -was on target -to be moved or demolished, -but no one ever notified -the town.

-I mean, -how are we going to move -this building in 11 months?

-Who's going to pay for this?

-Town of Haven doesn't -have any money for this.

-I mean, we can't spend -$1 million doing this.

-Our whole budget is, you -know, only about $1 million.

-This has been -this has been crunch time -right from day one on.

-And so we have to come up -with some kind of a solution -and how this is all going -to happen.

-There's a ton of history -that goes on -with this building, -and we weren't ready to see.

-It just tore down.

-We started looking -for places to put it.

-Where could we move it to -that would be relevant -to the train station.

-Walk in front, -drive it well, we'll walk, -and you know, three -and moving -150 year old brick building -that is on an active -railroad -sitting along an active road -is quite a challenge.

-So the -the challenge is to be able -to stabilize this building -going the move, -and still save -the historic interior -as much as possible.

-Some demolition that's -going to have to happen.

-Interior for them to be able -to put cross bracing in -to stabilize this building -during that move.

-Because brick, as we all can -imagine, doesn't -like to flex very much.

-It's got to be a very rigid -building when we're done, -the building -will be stripped -on the interior, -nail by nail.

-We will examine when those -materials date from.

-Do they date from 1868?

-Do they date from after it -was hit by the railroad car?

-The chimneys will come down -to help lower -the height of the building.

-That brick will be saved, -cleaned, and then it will be -reconstructed -back on site again.

-This town is -had been important to me.

-I guess you don't realize -that the is starting -to get older.

-It's not important -when you're young.

-When I was growing up, -there was farms -all over this town.

-There was four farms on -the road that I grew up on, -which is only 1.6 -miles long.

-There's no farms there -that are active anymore.

-There's farmland -is still being farmed, -but there's no cows getting -milked out there anymore.

-And if you look in this town -right now, -I believe there's only -three active farms -that have cows on them -and milking, -I should say dairy.

-There was probably 75, -50 years ago.

-So we're starting to lose -some of that stuff.

-And the only way barns -get maintained -if there's something -to pay for them.

-And once the cows are gone -and the milk start flowing, -they become a liability -instead of an asset to -the property.

-And it's not just barns, -just many old buildings -that go away -with the one room -schoolhouses -either -get converted into a house -or they fall down somewhere -along the way.

-If they aren't getting used.

-And that was where -this building -was going to come into.

-If we didn't -do something with it, -it was not -going to be here any longer.

-I guess -we just have to think.

-About our past -and maybe our ancestors and -you know, what they did -and how they lived.

-My father went through -the depression.

-He remembered it really -well.

He died this year.

-He was 100.

-And his parents -on a very small farm.

-They eked out a living -like many small farmers did.

-They have always -wanted to eat, -but they never really -had any money.

-That's our heritage, -that's our history.

-And so if we see -those buildings -and that stuff goes away, -we don't save any of it -and we don't tell -stories about it, -we're not going to have it -for the future generations.

-There are many historic -buildings -that are threatened -with alteration, demolition, -change as we want -to develop and progress.

-And and that's only natural.

-You don't want -to put millions of dollars -into saving something -just to have it sit -empty in a new location.

-This building has been the -center of this community, -and now physically, it's -going to be in the center -of the community.

-It won't be right -next to railroad tracks.

-It won't be -a railroad station, -but it will continue -to tell that story -and have a new life.

-And it's something -that we can be proud of, -not just for having it -built, -but for saving it.

-It's a preservation -success story.

-Beautiful.

-That damn thing -better move.

-That can track the.

-Money.

-I'm up before sunrise.

-To map out my day.

-After getting into town late -last night -I was just happy -to find somewhere to sleep.

-station was already closed -when I rolled in.

-And seeing that -I was on a quarter tank.

-I'm just praying -they're open before -I hit the road today -A, I'm chasing down -a few more leads today, but -sometimes it just feels like -I'm chasing ghosts.

-What is that?

-You have got to be -kidding me.

-Is that a depot?

-Homestead?

-The train parked behind me.

-Now, although I've been -at this for a while, -I haven't even scratched -the surface -in my thus far limited -travels, so many structures, -so little time.

-It would take me -a dozen lifetimes -to cover the country -in a way -that would pay proper homage -to all the structures -and all the people -who had -their stories to tell.

-But if I can make people -sit up and notice with what -I am able to capture, well, -maybe that's -just got to be enough.

-I've met so many wonderful -people in my travels, -and though many of these -encounters have been brief, -they've lingered with me -for years.

-I can still see -the weathered -hands and smiling faces.

-I still hear the pride -in the voices -as they share stories -about their great -grandparents -homesteading -on the very land -upon which we're standing.

-So after driving -280 some odd miles today, -we are entering -the little town -of Rabaul.

J.

-Man, look at those.

-So now, let me ask you, -what's your place -in this story?

-Perhaps you've seen -one of these -tired old beauties -in your travels.

-Or maybe even in your own -backyard.

-Will you -give it a second glance?

-If you -linger for just a moment, -maybe you can see your own -grandfather's hands -in the rusted nails -and the faded clapboard.

-Will I ever be done -with this project?

-I'm only getting started.

-For this is my love song.

-To the faded, -the crumbling, -the peeling and the rusted.

-To the hard working, -enterprising -and honest people -who were brave enough -to wrestle a living -and a life from the land -they.

-And that's a wrap.

-And now, as -I head out in search -of the next fading gem, -let me leave you with this.

-Open your eyes -and appreciate -what we have for this -brief moment in time.

-Be intentional.

-Connect -with our older generation -and those who know the -history of the land before.

-They too -are no longer with us.

-And let -this be an encouragement -to treasure these structures -now, for sadly, most -will eventually surrender -and fold -back into the ground -that they were built upon -taking their stories -with them.

-Here they be.

You.