On my trip to Wachusett Mountain I happened by the Stillwater Farm. I liked the red barn color common in this part of the country - it looks especially nice when viewed against the fall colors and blue sky. The farm is a 55-acre environmental education facility and is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and includes this farmstead and a mile long trail through the property.
So why are barns up here mostly red anyway? Well, according to the editor of "The Barn Journal," Charles Leik, "Ferric oxide (rust), a primary component of red paint, is inexpensive and this appealed to the thrifty farmers of New England and New York State. Red is the predominant barn color in that region."
