Barns

As a rule, I do not take barn photos.  Everyone does barn photos and I cannot improve on that body of work.  Today's photos come from Macoupin and Dekalb County.  I photograph falling down barns because they pique my interests and thoughts.  Barns were the center of the American farmstead until maybe the 1960's.  They were built for their versatility and to support the diversity of animals and crops that were a part of farming.  When I see a barn that has fallen down or is in terrible disrepair I am curious as to what happened.  Especially when I see large barns like these.  These barns look to have been part of a once prosperous operation.  What happened?