Old Friends Book Celebrates Rural Wooden Barns

This book features old barns and quotes

For as long as there have been scenic old barns on agricultural lands, they have inspired a sense of appreciation among those who view them. The Old Friends coffee table book is just the latest in a long line of publications that serve to salute the beauty of old barns before they fade away. Lowcountry author Dr. Randolph Bradham shares his lifetime of experiences and impressions as he crisscrossed rural roads while growing his own family-owned farm business.

The Old Friends book is his first take on the roots of the collective Lowcountry agricultural heritage and the book is dedicated ‘To those who farm the land.’ The blueberry business entailed many trips from the S.C. Lowcountry into South Georgia near Alma, and over the decades he noticed how older abandoned barns trended into decay and in some cases total collapse and removal from the landscape. He then felt compelled to photograph these old friends whenever he encountered them, not knowing that it would one day turn into a book.

The photos are accompanied with quotes that Dr. Bradham thought would correspond well with the visual message delivered by his black and white photos. One such example is attributed to Herbert Ravenel Sass from 1935. “Wherever one goes in the Lowcountry – in the woods, on the rivers, amid the marshes and rice fields, on the old baronies and plantations, on the lonely barrier islands, in the towns – one comes upon the reminders of a rich, vivid, tragic past.”

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past book reviews click on Edisto River - Tall Timbers - Red Knot - Audubon's Aviary - Lefty Kreh - Guy Harvey - Year of the Pig- Shrimp, Collards and Grits - Passion of the Wild - Kayak Fishing - Longleaf Alliance