History: Tobacco Barn

Journaling: Late 18th / early 19th century Tobacco Barn | Let's Talk About the HeXafoil marks the spot | The old tobacco barn was once part of the land our farmhouse sits on. The family that owned the land were originally from Scotland and had migrated from North Carolina to Virginia. They owned the lands in the 1700’s until the sometime in the mid-20th century. This simple hexafoil symbol, also known as a witch (Apotropaic) mark, were created by superstitious people who were keeping ‘evil spirits’ away and/or witches from entering the building. They believed they came down the chimney, thru windows, and doorways. Thus the marks usually are in these places - as the case above is found in the doorway which flanked two now-defunct brick & stone furnaces. Our downstairs fireplace mantles have this symbol as a carving into the mantel. I am sure it is not coincidence that this is the case.
I quickly recognized this mark, since I had found this years ago in our 1830‘s Kentucky house which had a nearly identical mark on the doorway, only it also had a large cache of old square nails, and odds & ends pieces of small iron chains, etc stuffed into the doorway above and around it - a very superstitious act. The builder of that house was originally from Maryland.
It is interesting, but sad, that they lived with this fear. I am grateful to be free from these superstitious beliefs.

Credits-> All About Me - retired, Chronicle - retired, Guilty Pleasures- retired, & Work - retired (TLP Collabs)