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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Centennial Farms


Michigan Centennial farm sign

Om was busy this afternoon, so Loretta and I were looking for something fun to do. But it was really windy, so some outdoor activities didn't appeal quite as much as usual. We were in the drugstore, and picked up a brand new flyer for a self-driving tour of Centennial Farms in the county. In Michigan, Centennial Farms are ones that have been in the same family for 100 years, who choose to register with the Michigan Historical Commission.

pumpkins and church

The leaves haven't even started to turn- no color there! But I did manage to provide some lovely fall color in the form of fields full of pumpkins. I liked this one with the church peeking over the hill.

Michigan Centennial barn

This tour took us past 25 of the more than 50 registered farms in the county. Frankly, a lot of them weren't very interesting. Remember, this isn't necessarily the oldest barns, or the most interesting. Many of these farms are still in operation, but some were simply still in the family with most of the old buildings gone. Nevertheless, here are a few pictures from our tour.
Michigan Centennial barn

This one wasn't so well kept up, but it was interesting, and I'm always attracted to old barns.
Michigan Centennial farm

This one is very much in active use. It's on a major highway, so I often pass by here. But many of these were well out of the way. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.



10 comments:

jeanlivingsimple said...

Historical sites always interest me. Barns new and old are always a pleasure to see! What a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Reanaclaire said...

wow..interesting.. i love country side scenery..

regards,
www.reanaclaire.com

The Oceanside Animals said...

Nothing says "autumn" like pumpkins stretching as far as the eye can see.

rainfield61 said...

I like the crawling pumpkins, beautiful.

Secondary Roads said...

That certainly looked like a fun day! I particularly like the pumpkins beside the church.

Ann said...

That does sound like a fun day. Nothing beats driving through the country. Old barns are always fascinating to me.

spinninglovelydays said...

Sounds like an interesting tour, my kind of fun :)

Sharkbytes said...

Jean- It was perfect for the time we had and the weather. We both took lots of pictures!

reanaclaire- thanks for stopping by! That's mostly what we have here.

Dennis- semi-trucks full of them are pretty darn impressive too!

rainfield- they are! I think these are headed for canning factories. They aren't the jack-o-lantern kind

Chuck- I like that one a lot too! It's going in my newspaper column this month

Ann- We sure have lots of them.

Ivy- It could have been a great educational lesson too!

RNSANE said...

It's nice that so many farms are still active and in operation. I love old barns myself!!

Sharkbytes said...

Carmen- This is still a very rural area, and although some farms have folded, there are many others. Asparagus and fruit are the biggest.