On the land due east of Little Red lies an abandoned farmstead. The house burned to the ground years prior to our arrival at the lake but the out buildings remain. I have always been interested in paying a visit to the property to see if it would lend itself to a photo shoot.
I did.
And it did.
While I was disappointed there was nothing left of the farmhouse, nary a stone from the foundation nor a chimney that refused to die, the out buildings did hold some interest.
What I know about this farm is that it was once quite large. During the Great Depression the WPA constructed the damn which began holding back water to form our lake. As a result a portion, I have no idea just how much, of the farm was lost. At some point in the 1950's the light bulb went off and our enterprising farmer funded his retirement by selling off some of his land as lake front lots. Genius.
I'm not certain how long he continued to farm his acreage, nor am I certain if the fire was the tipping point for our farmer. Today the house is gone and the out buildings remain in a somewhat decent state of repair. The fields to the north and south of the homestead are planted in corn and soy and the several acres where the house once stood are for sale.
Which was the excuse I was holding in my back pocket just in case someone accused me of trespassing!
It's always good to be prepared.
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