To the Editor:
Thanks so much for your story on the preservation of the 18th-Century Dutch barn on Route 20 [“Rustic Barn eyesore will become historic treasure for Nellis family homestead,” The Altamont Enterprise, Feb. 16, 2024].

An important work the Nellis Brothers are undertaking! Think of it. More than 250 years old and with at least some of its joinery still sound.

I have seen barns 800 years old in England that are still standing and still functioning. I hope someone is documenting the work and the joinery. We did some things very well in the past, and we need to remember that.

By the way, the American elm has not been wiped out. Though Dutch elm disease and elm yellows often do kill them, a number still survive. And they love to volunteer along roadsides and in disturbed areas. But one of the stature the Nellis brothers describe would be hard to find. 

Bill Logan

Rensselaerville

Editor’s note: The original description of the American elm as having been “wiped out” has been changed to “decimated.”