Old Buildings ND

BP338

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So, I have always noticed the old buildings that are scattered across ND and have thought that, for the most part, they are pretty neat. But we went for a ride on Sunday and I noticed that most of the ones I saw were in pretty poor condition.

Why don't they get torn down? Is safety not that big of a concern? Is there a good reason to keep them around? My first thought was that people just don't want to give any of their time to take care of them. Or is it purely sentimental?
 


USMCDI

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Because they're a pain the ass to clean up. We've burned a lot of ours but man is there iron in the ground, loader and backhoe tires are expensive and I've gotten tired of messing with them so there they sit. That's my reason anyway, we farm around a few.
 

Meelosh

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That's the answer. Money and time to upkeep, money and time to clean up.

You are right though. There is some cool/pretty ones out there. Especially in Williams/Divide counties.
 

guywhofishes

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ha ha ha

tearing down buildings is WAY harder than one would think

when's the last time you heard of someone getting hurt/killed in one of those rundown old farm buildings?

also

#racoonlivesmatter
 

BP338

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That makes sense.

I'd like to hear the stories on some of these old buildings. There's a whole set up (house, barn, etc...) across a slough. You can see where an old road was. There aren't any habitable houses nearby either. Pretty cool stuff.

- - - Updated - - -

ha ha ha

tearing down buildings is WAY harder than one would think

when's the last time you heard of someone getting hurt/killed in one of those rundown old farm buildings?

also

#racoonlivesmatter

Good point, raccoons! (That's a weird word when you spell it and say it...)
 


Coalburner

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So, I have always noticed the old buildings that are scattered across ND and have thought that, for the most part, they are pretty neat. But we went for a ride on Sunday and I noticed that most of the ones I saw were in pretty poor condition.

Why don't they get torn down? Is safety not that big of a concern? Is there a good reason to keep them around? My first thought was that people just don't want to give any of their time to take care of them. Or is it purely sentimental?
Easiest way to take care of them is to burn them but generally they are in field or pasture which will lead to flat tires, hardware in cattle, and still have metal laying around. Renting an X or hiring someone to run one and bury it is time consuming and expensive. Sometimes it’s just good to let things be and enjoy the architecture and craftsmanship from a time gone by.
 

KDM

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Old buildings have EPA, Hazmat, and a whole slug of disposal and reclamation issues. The amount of red tape needed to demolish a building with asbestos, underground fuel storage, lead paint, lead plumbing, not to mention the transportation and disposal of demolition materials and possible inspections once the job was done would tie up the army, the whole national guard, and sister mary holy waters glee club for at least a month. So they stand there as monuments to STUPIDITY and BUREAUCRACY for all of us to see and enjoy.
 

cooter00

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We used one as a club house as kids it was a couple miles from everyone so we all could ride our bikes there later when we got older we would hide our beer there many good uses lol
 

db-2

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yes a lot of good uses for those old buildings, maybe not for useful use but could be a jar of monies hidden and I first need to find time to go looking, to just admire and think of what went on in them, a piece of old barn wood now and then and

just not willing to let the pass go, one never knows what they may give one someday, and if it is out of way no need to destory what once was important to someone and part of our history.

Sometimes I do not understand a farmer burning the building, pushing the trees in for a couple of more acres, will never recover the cost, got old.
some need to farm ditch to ditch and need the landscape to be bare except for their crop growing. db
 
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Retired Educator

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Back in the day during the summer there was nothing better than an old fallen down building for firewood, a keg, and all surrounded by trees so the party wasn't visible and hopefully enough good-looking girls to make it interesting.
 

Zogman

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Old buildings have EPA, Hazmat, and a whole slug of disposal and reclamation issues. The amount of red tape needed to demolish a building with asbestos, underground fuel storage, lead paint, lead plumbing, not to mention the transportation and disposal of demolition materials and possible inspections once the job was done would tie up the army, the whole national guard, and sister mary holy waters glee club for at least a month. So they stand there as monuments to STUPIDITY and BUREAUCRACY for all of us to see and enjoy.

You are 110% correct. Thats why most of the small towns have alot of what used to be a decent building when the town was viable but now you see more unoccupied falling down buildings than ones that are taken care of. It is extremely sad.
 

db-2

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yes retire educator:

the women,

nothing like the ladies (forget the building), then finally sitting next to the lady on the log, then a brief accidental touch without the slap, a kiss and ones thoughts would go wild,
just maybe,
just one more beer for the lady, my thoughts continue to go into a world of pleasure
guessing as to what the ladies thought were and more than likely they were as mine
finally the night I will lose my virginity (did I spell lose right)
I knew from before all I had to do was pace myself

problem was I also drank one more beer, knowing better
and then, damn that beer would interfere with my body's functions.

at that point, all was lost, only thing left was to drink my share of the beer.

But yes the women, short ones, tall ones, heavy or thin, good looking or not it did not matter, only had one thought at the moment, memories of what should/could of been
all with the help of that old farm site
And then some feel the need to burn that site down today db
 
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JayKay

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You fellas should check out the book by a local ND photographer, Zachary Hargrove. Most of his pics are here in the state. Nature, old buildings, top notch stuff. I bought the book just before Christmas, and love it.

He has enough meteorological info to be entertaining too, as he is a weatherman. I met the guy at a local book-signing. Nice guy.

Hargrove.jpg
 

LBrandt

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All those old building sites were once someones dream of the future. The one I like the most is the stone house on the northwest corner of Dry Lake by Ashley. It is slowly going to be swamped by the lake some day.
 

bilbo

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There was a poet from the depression era named Paul Bliss. He was sent here for a government program I believe and ended up staying. He wrote a bunch of poems about ND and lived in a home West of Hettinger that he made from rammed earth. Most of it's still there; I've driven out there and saw it while hunting, from the road anyway. It's on private property and I wasn't able to get a hold of the landowner to see if I could take a peek. I thought it was interesting due to the unconventional construction method.
 


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