Summary
“Ervin’s important undertaking inspired farmers statewide to see their barns in a new light and brought attention to an often overlooked category of Michigan’s architecture.”
~Michigan History Magazine
"When I was a young girl growing up within the farm community near Rankin, in Genesee County, I heard the working sounds of tractors plowing large fields and watched the harvests of soybeans, wheat, hay, and oats. My ancestors were Michigan pioneers and farmers near Ludington and Grand Blanc. My love for all things farming came from them and continues to this day. Respect for the land and a deep respect for the profession of farming is the hallmark of this book. Since I began to canvass the state nearly two decades ago I’ve had the good fortune to visit the farms and talk to many generational farmers and families. Before Michigan became a state in 1837, pioneers came from all over the world to farm this fertile land then known as, The Land of Many Waters. Clearing giant trees of pine, oak, ash and maple, they plowed with ox or a team of horses, for the purpose of raising crops. Wheat, oats, corn and barley were some of the first crops a new homesteader raised. Barns were built out of logs from the trees, to shelter bushels of precious grains and valuable animals. Just think what it must have been like in the 1800’s to travel by water and wagon through wilderness and swamps to the new territory called Michigan! These courageous pioneers, and those that came after them throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, were happy to find a place to call home."
About the Author
Brenda Ervin is a nationally recognized, multi-award winning author, photographer and preservationist. The Governor of Michigan, the Michigan 49th Legislature presented a special tribute to author and preservationist Brenda Ervin for over two decades of documenting Michigan's agricultural heritage. She is an award winning member of the National Federation of Press Women, Women's National Book Association and Agricultural History Association.
Reviews
“Brenda Ervin is to be complimented for taking on this monstrous effort and on an excellent job. I think she has done a real service to agriculture and to Michigan's heritage by carrying out this effort.”
~ Jack Laurie, Michigan Farm Bureau President
"Barns of Michigan is an excellent advocate for family farms, showing their historic, social and economic functions on the Michigan landscape, and traces the important issues of preserving historic barns and preserving the way of life that keeps them 'living' structures.
~Cornelia Butler Flora, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture Director North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University
"The author's dedication and passion for telling the story of the connectivity between farms, farming, farmers and barns captures the ethos of farm life is clear...she documents her laborious work through photographs, the evocative presence of the barns themselves... the displacement of family farming is the backdrop of her journey and she empathizes in documenting the voice and emotions of many who may otherwise have been unheard."
~Hemalata C. Dandekar, Ph.D, Professor emerita of Urban Planning, The University of Michigan, and Professor and Director, School of Planning, Arizona State University
