Butts in the seats

  
The Story

 On the way back from the Christmas Eve service in the cold church, Arthur and I took some farm roads to get back to his place. Along the way we passed this old building on a corner that I've passed many times as I leave Art's and head home (I take the bigger roads on the way up and the smaller roads on the return, usually smelling of cows and the barn and I love it).

We've talked about the building before, and we're going to work on finding out the details on it, but in the meantime there it sits so we stopped so I could snap some pics -- and boy, it was cold and windy at the time.

On some trips home from Art's I've stopped and explored the building in recent years and it seems to be an old church of some kind, but it's hard to be sure of its exact roots without any research. Although maybe someone out there will have some ideas after seeing the pics of it, so let's take a look at it and please leave a Comment if you have any insights on it.

 
On one of those earlier visits I saw a pic opportunity that says it all, and I shot it this time for the blog.

It shows the outline on the wall of where the pews butted up against the north wall, and it strikes me as one of the most poignant and telling ways to recall and conjure up images of what this structure was all about so many years ago. You can just see the people sitting in the pews at the time. 

Look at the pics below for the set-up on it, and then we'll get to the  pic I'm talking about a bit farther down.

Set-up
Here's the building from the road with camera looking East

This window faces west and I'm thinking it's part of the story

 

Walking around the right corner

Continuing around the corner

Looking to the right the empty fields have passing winds blowing across them that a pic can't portray, but believe me, it was cold, howling wind brutal at this moment and hard to be outside. Arthur was comfortable over in Trusty Rusty parked on the road with the heater running -- it was so cold that I missed snapping that pic in my rush to get back into the warm vehicle and I'm sorry I missed it

 

Looking in from the side door at what seems to be some type of altar on the eastern end of the building

Mid way back

From the northwest corner

And what's up with the ceiling? Another clue, and probably the main detail to its identity

Here's the detail that I first noticed a few years back and want everyone to see. Look at the outline of the pews on the wall, or are they just bench seats in an old town hall? Either way, it really helps you imagine and picture the people sitting there for whatever the reason was.

As mentioned, Art is going to look into the details on the place as time allows. We'll pass that info along later as it happens and it should be very interesting to find out the story behind this old country structure.

Wrap-up

Then here's a look at Art's place from across the fields same day. When we got back in his neighborhood we took a lap around the farm just to check on things and take a general look at the situation and all was well but boy, the wind was still howling and it was just a bone cold frigid day outside that day in Wisconsin on Christmas Eve 2013.

There are about forty cows, bulls and calves in this classic old dairy barn right now with plenty of hay up in the mow and other things for them to munch on this Winter as the old farmer tends to them 

       and Arthur will continue for as long as he is able -- stay tuned for the ongoing story.

Thanks for clicking in -- more later on it all.