Cleaning Up in a Southern Belly Full of History

Little by little - according to how much this crazy weather allows - the old Tobacco Barn is being knocked down to the bones - and temporarily repurposed.

We’re reconstructing 3 stalls for Artie - Bruce - and whomever else on 4 legs may come into our lives as we go along.


The boys'll be coming home around the first week of April.  And this will house them while we get the other barn built.

There's been a lot of - “ landfill “ that Dwayne had to drag out of the stalls with the tractor.  Afterward - he pulled more soil off to keep any rainfall from settling toward the barn.


The “ clean-up “ has been a little “ interesting “ to say the very least.  To begin with - we have to remember where we’re located.  East Tennessee has a belly full of American History.

The date of June 11, 1920 is scratched into one of the piers that once supported the wall standing alone for the moment.  And pulling nails out of some of this wood supports believing that as a fact - without any doubt.

Any idea about keeping a trash can around the barn in the past doesn’t seem to be a thought that ever crossed anybody’s mind.  Thank God for Magnets.  Don’t they teach Farriers to dispose of horseshoes and nails in a proper manner?


I didn’t get shots of the buckets of rusty horseshoes we picked up a couple weeks ago.


But it seems like - anytime a hole shows up in the floor of a tack room - time moves in to provide a mine shaft leading to some really juicy secrets!  That beer can is nothing compared to all that we found!


Old whiskey bottles - beer bottles - and a trash bag loaded with more beer cans.

Found this little 2oz. Bottle - with the original lid that just - crumbled - as soon as I touched it.

And how ’bout this little diddy!  I remember these!

This is an odd-shaped jar that I’ve never seen before.  If anybody can fill me in - I’d really appreciate it.

It has an appearance that makes me feel like it’s just short of a full pint.

The really interesting thing we’ve come across - under the tack room floor - would be 3 quart jars.  Found 1 a couple weeks ago - 2 yesterday.


Now - what do you think would be inside any quart-size jars that would be used in a barn?

After finding this - I don’t think I’d buy any excuse as truth.


I’m pretty sure it was more for the rider!