History
South Arkansas isn’t exactly known for snowy mountain peaks like the rocky mountains. Nor is it known for the foggy mountain breakdown bluegrass music you’d find in the hills of Tennessee. Arkansas does have some beautifully mountain ranges in the Ozarks of north Arkansas. The Piney hills of the Ouachita’s that run through west central Arkansas are beautiful in their own way. But, here in south Arkansas, a few very gently rolling hills is about the closest thing you’ll find to a mountain. I think the highest elevation in Union County is about 150ft above sea level. What we do have is an Iron Mountain Road and there sits a beautiful old barn that I had to photograph. But is it really old?
Although I’m not exactly sure, where it gets its name from, Iron Mountain road runs south from US 167 just south of El Dorado and after it enters Louisiana, it runs into LA15 at a small community called Mount Union. Ironically, not exactly any mountains there either. I think this route is a very old route that was used to connect north Louisana and South Arkansas in the 1800s and maybe earlier. But if I were guessing, and this is only a guess, I think the name Iron Mountain may have something to do with the Iron Mountain Rail Road company that once operated a railroad through Arkansas and I think had some saw mills in Louisiana. I could be completely wrong about this, but thats the best guess I’ve got.
As I said, Iron Mountain Rd is a main travel way between North Louisiana and South Arkansas. It just so happens that a lot of my work is in North Louisiana so I travel Iron Mountain Rd quite often. It was on one of these work trips that I noticed the most gorgeous barn in the setting sun. Having traveled this road quite often I wondered “Why have I not noticed this barn before?”
Turns out, It’s new
As you drive past, you’d swear this barn has been siting here for ages, but its actually new. Well, sort of new. The barn I first noticed looked like it was in disrepair. Actually, it was being built. As I passed by over the next several days, the barn was coming together nicely but all of the materials were old and original looking.
I never saw anyone working there when I passed and I was unsure of who the owners were so I never stopped to ask. I’ve just admired the old barn when I’ve passed it. But just the other evening I passed by right at sunset and as spring rains have brought new growth to last year’s hay fields that surround the barn, the sun was glowing on the tops of the tall grasses an hitting the sides of the barn. I had to find out more about the barn and get some photos.
I could have just taken some photos from the public highway, but I knew to photograph this barn properly, I would really need to get closer.
Trespassing is a serious thing though. I wouldn’t want some stranger wondering around my property and neither would most people. So I had to find the owners. Plus, I’m always looking for cool places to take clients so I would love to be able to take some other pictures there in the future.
Luckily, my good friend Rachel Thurmon lives close by so I asked if she knew and sure enough she knew the owners. Ricky and Phylis Davis. Rachel gave me Ricky’s number.
After talking with Phylis, she gave me the rundown on the barn. Turns out, the original barn belonged to her grandfather and was built in the 1950s on a separate location. The property the barn was originally built on had been inherited by a cousin who wanted to remove the barn from the property to use the space for other uses. Phylis had so many fond memories of her grandfathers barn that she just couldn’t bare to see it torn down. It had to be moved.
Phylis and her husband worked with a local contractor who took the building down piece by piece and moved it to its new location. Ricky said he was initially a little apprehensive about it, but It turned into a fun “little” project. Hopefully, with a new foundation under it, the Iron Mountain Barn will have a long life and see many more sunsets for years to come in its new location.
The Barn
All of this may be more than you really wanted to know about the barn’s history or the history of Iron Mountain rd. So, If you just came for the pictures. Here you go. Enjoy.
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