Is that concrete? Or Limestone? It's neat, just like the tops of the old stores, if it's carved. But the building dosen't have any of the local characteristics of buildings that old. What do you think?
definately the date the building was built....i see that commmonly around here in the older parts of town...they tended to put the year the building was built on it.
Being out in the middle of nowhere and not having any windows that I can see, and the double doors, it was probably an old building for storing farm equipment? Aand , being out in the boonies I'd say it is most likely a date rather than an address. May have been built from scrap from another building from where the date block came. Just guesses. Monty
Looks like a Victorian era-wannabe barn, especially with the fishscale shingles on the facade...
In California, for instance, especially in Redlands, Eureka and Ferndale, a number of the Victorian homes displayed the date completed in the upper eaves...not to be construed as an address...
Ocassionally this also is true of post 1900's commercial and public buildings...
I've noticed this as a practice ranging from 1870's thru the 1920's...
It's a date, MG. Since the 911 system came in, you know if it was an address it would say CR1899. (just a joke, county road 1899) Nobody would go to that much trouble in those days in the rural areas to put the address on the house, but it would sure be on the mailbox down by the road.
I think it's a date, but what's the address number of the nearest building on that road ?
(Keeping in mind, some places have both old, and new addresses.)