The Amish live by a Christian principle of mutual aid, meaning that they will gladly help other members of their community in times of need. When an Amish family needs a new barn, the whole community and people from other communities near and far will pitch in and raise the barn in a day of intense work.

Despite the lives of simplicity that the Amish enjoy, they do use some modern conveniences. For example, in this barn raising the men used a tall crane to lift lumber to the roof, and used battery-powered carpentry tools to cut lumber and assemble the structural components of the building. It looked like a cold day on the barn roof, with snow flurries and a frigid breeze, but they got the job done.

SIZE: This photograph is printed at an approximate final size of a bit over 6x6,” and is printed on cotton rag photographic paper using pigmented inks for an estimated 400-year display life.

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.