Old country barns catch my attention.  Some have a washed out coat of red paint; some have faded advertising signs; some are just tumbled down, the roof caved in, surrounded by tall weeds and old trees.  They all have character.  So when passing through the small village of Campobello, S.C., coming across an old weathered barn on Depot Street with the sign “Diggin Barn” over the door, I knew I would need to explore. With “American Pickers” introducing us to the world of bygone era collectibles, I wanted to “dig in.”
On a rainy, dreary day, armed with a batch of fresh made oatmeal cookies, I stopped in Country Peddler for a long afternoon chat with Jeaneen Cobourn, an owner of the shop where the barn is located. We settled down by the cozy, cast iron stove, surrounded by antiques, vintage hats and goods reminiscent of the good ol’ days. “Tell me the story,” I queried. “How old is that barn and what’s the history?”  Jeaneen proved to be the unofficial Campobello town historian and provided me with stories of the barn and the once thriving town.
When Jeaneen and her business partner, Debbie Denton, decided to open the store in 1995, all the buildings were filled with various items. They sorted thru everything, and designated uses for the three buildings.  The barn became the “Diggin Barn” and would be a catch-all for old tools, beds, mantles, doors and things for “picker types” to rummage through.
Jeaneen knows the property originally housed Campbell’s Feed and Grocery, owned by Boyd Campbell, a jovial man known as the “Will Rogers of Campobello”. He always had a story and a joke. Another building was a corn mill. The barn was probably used for storage, since the feed store carried everything from baby powder to horse feed.  At one time the barn was filled with auto parts and another time it was used as a rug mill.
With a break in the rain, I wander out and have a look around. Several old sinks line the walkway in front of the barn and a rusty, spotted cow decorates the front of the building.  As I step inside, the wind blows through cracks in the walls, rustling some vintage Country music books, a leaflet highlighting Grand Ol’ Opry stars and a souvenir program from a Mel Tillis concert.  An old pair of roller skates, the kind with the wind up key, hangs from a wall.  I study a well worn school book called “Practical Speller and Definer.”
It contains over 200 pages of words, broken into syllables with accent marks. A complete set of Handyman Encyclopedias is stuffed in a box, a nursing uniform from South Carolina School Of Nursing is draped over a hanger, even a lobster trap is perched on the floor.  As I glance down at some andirons, I notice big spaces between the floor boards and have a view of the ground underneath.
Jeaneen mentioned that some customers speculate that chickens were kept under the barn, as it’s raised off the ground by short brick pillars.
I rejoin Jeaneen.
“What’s the strangest thing you’ve had in the barn?” I ask.
“A pine coffin,” she replies, without hesitation.  “It was sold for a Halloween event.”
It’s time to wrap up in my raincoat and gloves. I know I’ll return to Campobello.  There’s a lot of history tucked away here and I want to dig into it.