When touring the abandoned mining facility at Missouri Mines State Park, the imagery remindeed me of seeing any one of the thousands of old dilapidated barns across America. The difference being that many of those old barns are still in use. This lead mine was part of a mining system that was one of the main suppliers of that commodity for USA for many years, including through the world wars. This was also the world's largest lead smelter for a time, closing in 1972. I really appreciate learning about history first hand, not just through books.