In 2022, I had the honor of partnering with Rock City to help take up the torch in the restoration of their iconic barns that once dotted the landscape all across the south and throughout the midwest. Originally started and painted by Clark Byers in 1935, at one time there was over 900 “See Rock City” barns but because of the Highway Beautification Act in 1965, many of the barns had to painted over and many more have just been lost over time to the elements or due to neglect. Currently there are only about 40 total barns remaining, with most of them now being registered historic landmarks and icons of days gone by that greet visitors on road trips looking for these threads of the American fabric that still exist.
It is an absolute pleasure to partner with Rock City and to be a part of restoring these pieces of Americana. Everywhere I go and everyone I meet has a “See Rock City” story, just like the barns I work on.
Stayed tuned and be sure to follow FreeSky Studios on Facebook as I post on the job photos, videos, and quirky things on these jobs and more.
COMPLETED LOCATIONS:
See Rock City – Rydall, GA
Northern Georgia is just a gorgeous area. Really had fun working on this one as the See Rock City crew set up a "Watch Us Paint" event that brought out the SRC media team, local media, bloggers, and friends to hang out, paint a few strokes and enjoy another gorgeous spring day. The old [...]
See Rock City – Murphy, NC
This old barn reminded me of an old sway back horse; it's seen some hard working days and it is showing it's wear but it is still standing strong. I did help this one out a bit by adding a bunch more, new sheet metal screws to lock down some loose panels but overall the [...]
See Rock City – Crossville, TN
Could not have asked for a more beautiful area to work in. The rolling hills of Central Tennessee in the springtime is something to behold. Roof was scraped clean, sanded, and black base paint added by this point A view from the top of the barn [...]
See Rock City – McEwen, TN
About an hour West of Nashville along the side of Hurricane Creek, I got to hang out and repaint this solid old barn's roof for a wonderful family. The view from the highway before painting. It was definitely in need of a repaint! This one took quite a bit of elbow [...]