The house by the side of the road.
This unique home is part of the farm pictured in the previous photos but has a somewhat different facade. Smaller than the other house on the property, it features an exterior of what seems to be glazed silo brick. If you look up at the top of the gable there is a remnant of decorative trim and curtains still hang neatly inside the windows on the door and one of the rooms.
I would love to know the history of this and the other farms that I photographed for this series!
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This was a handsome farmhouse at one time and still exhibits its sturdy construction despite the boarded up windows and doors.
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This structure adjacent to the barn may have served different purposes over the years, with a chimney evidence that it once was heated. Perhaps it could have been the original farmhouse?
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On a seldom traveled back road and screened by a row of massive maples this old barn, farmhouse, and outbuildings are easy to miss! The barn has been well-maintained with a modern roof that contrasts with its cobble stone foundation. If you look closely and are familiar with farming there is an electric fence surrounding the barn, common for use with livestock and horses.
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What began in 2005 at the Alcona Community Schools with a project to tap the maples in the school forest for maple syrup has become a very successful and ambitious endeavor involving the high school's agriscience students and the FFA chapter.
A sugar shack was constructed that fall by students, FFA members, and community volunteers. With an attached log cabin "classroom" the project resulted in a state of the art maple syrup production facility and learning center.
The project now includes "buckets" fed by taps and tubes from the many mature maples that line the backroads of the county.
This week saw the start of collecting the sap and producing syrup, with an estimated 10,000 gallons of sap harvested, and a average ratio of 40 gallons sap to one gallon of maple syrup. The syrup is then marketed and sold at a profit.
An outstanding achievement for a small rural school!
www.nemiglsi.org/project.asp?ait=av&aid=14
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