Towpath Mule Barn

If this little barn could talk, it would captivate an audience with its stories, beginning with a front row seat along the Wabash and Erie Canal.

It was fine resting place for the miles that worked on the towpath. Although it has gone through numerous additions and changes through its many years, there are still clues to its early use along the canal.

The interior of the barn is still fully lined with hefty horizontal planks in an array of widths. These tough boards prevented the mules from kicking out the sides of the barn. Most of these planks are approximately one inch in thickness and are made from Butternut and Walnut.

As other forms of transportation took over and the canal days came to an end, the barn slid into disrepair. In the late 1960s the barn was nearly a lost cause. However, a creative artisan was determined to resurrect the barn. He added the equipment and tools needed to convert the barn into a stone carver's paradise.

I tried painting this barn several times. Because trees completely surround it, I decided to photograph the barn in the winter and complete a studio painting. I took photographs and completed the studio oil painting, 15 x 24 inches, in May 2016.

All the barn paintings are for sale.  Please contact Gwen to find out if the painting(s) you are interested in are sold or available.