Red Barns
Your ancestors may have lived on a farm. Most farms also had a barn, and those barns may have been painted red. But why?
It started hundreds of years ago that barns were painted red. In the 1700s blood from slaughtered animals was used as the paint. When it dried it turned a dark, burnt red. Later farmers used linseed oil to help seal the barn wood and keep it from rotting.
Mixing the oil with rust was a method to keep fungi and moss from growing on the wood. The rust turned the oil red, so the barn was red in appearance.
Even in more recent times, new barns are still traditionally painted red.
If you saw black painted barns, it would be in Kentucky. Black barns raised the heat inside, aiding the curing of tobacco which was grown for market. Many got their color from creosote, which repelled termites. Soon many Kentucky barns were painted black just as a fashion statement.
Photo: Vintage red barn
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< Return To Blog Neat info! Who knew that a blood red color was a real thing!Sara N Martin 23/09/21
Yes, my whole purpose to bring the unusual done by our ancestors.
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