The dealer's description of this large cabinet print described it as a barn, but I instantly noted the stream issuing from beneath the building, a sure sign of water being used to power some mill operation, most likely grain but maybe there are a variety of operations in this large semi-rural complex – sawmill, lathes or other operations requiring quantities of water. There is a tall brick chimney on the right indicating manufacture, a distillery being one distinct possibility.
The absence of motor vehicles may put this image before 1910, but how much earlier is anyone's guess; the albumen print is quite faded (requiring some restoration for what you see above) but is very handsomely mounted in a heavy folder which could have been done anytime after 1880; some lack of sharpness on the far left and considerable fuzziness on the right may suggest the earlier of this time span.
I am not sure what is being loaded or unloaded in this scene; it appears to be wrapped in cloth or burlap and a hoist is lifting or lowering the bales, so we may be seeing raw material coming in or a product coming out (if you have a more educated guess, please comment). I count at least 6 men, a boy and a girl. This was a busy and important place but the odds are good that nothing much remains above ground today. What was once so common a part of the landscape of American life is now relegated to a relatively few old photographs, an occasional painting and nostalgic prints of the Currier & Ives variety.
