Relict/Repurposed Landscape – The Barn - Abbee Fries

 

    Many places, whether you know it or not are actually relict or repurposed landscapes. A relict landscape refers to an area that was previously used as something else but still retains its features in its modern use. It often reflects different environmental conditions or human activities that have since changed. In addition to natural landscapes, human influences can also create relict features that once thrived but have since differed due to societal or economic changes.

      This is a picture of a barn on my family’s property. The people who lived here had a farm and used this barn to keep their horses. I don’t know much of the history of the barn beyond that. The barn tells of a story of hardworking farmers. One of my favorite features of this barn is that the wooden stall doors inside the barn have the horses’ names etched into them. Each name tells a story, one that I did not know but liked to imagine. As a kid, I used to picture what the horses looked like and how they got their names, creating elaborate backstories for each of them. I would imagine one named “Sundew” was a smaller, chestnut colored horse. I imagined Sassafras was sassy and super energetic, racing throughout the fields during the day. Over the years, the barn has evolved, serving various purposes.

      Today, this barn is far from its original use. My family uses it to store the lawn mowers, flower pots during the winter, and logs for firewood. Every layer of dust and wear on the wood tells a story of the barn's multifunctional life, and it stands as a symbol of resilience and flexibility. Even as times and practices change, the barn remains a cherished part of our family's landscape.

      As I reflect on this barn, it makes me consider the broader concept of relict landscapes. Just like our barn, many sites and/or buildings around the world hold stories of the past, reminding us of how human interaction with the environment can shape the spaces we lived in for many years to come. These landscapes show a glimpse between history and the present, showing a little bit of the lives once lived and the transformations that have occurred there  over time.

      This example made me curious about other ways barns can be relict/repurposed landscapes. I know in modern times, barns are repurposed for weddings or fancy events or even transformed into homes if they aren’t still used for their original use. Barns are interesting examples of relict landscapes. They show the transition of spaces from the original farming purpose to modern-day uses. In the past, barns served as vital structures for farming communities, housing livestock, storing feed, and storage for equipment. While this is still the case in rural areas, some have become relict landscapes. As farming has evolved and some small farms have stopped, these barns often remain. In their current state, many barns are repurposed for various uses, such as storage for tools, recreational spaces, or transformed. This shift reflects broader changes in society, such as urbanization as well as the decline of local agriculture. While the original function of the barn as a workspace may no longer be as relevant to today’s society as it was in the past, the structure still retains elements of its history—such as the wooden beams, stalls, and, in some cases, (such as abandoned farms) remnants of the animals that once lived there. The etched names on stall doors, for instance, offer a glimpse into the barn's history, preserving the memory of the horses that lived the space. These personal touches create a connection between the past and the present, showing how human stories and experiences are embedded within the landscape. As relics of a different time, old barns allow us to reflect on changes in land use, agricultural practices, and community life. They remind us of a time when rural landscapes were areas of high activity, and now serve as reminders to the history and evolution of human interaction with the land. Overall, barns are an example of how relict landscapes can share the stories of environmental and cultural shifts.