The Round Barn – Rural American Icon
by Fred Hendricks of Mansfield, OH
Round barns built by American farmers are historic designs that could be polygonal, or circular in structure. Although not as popular as some other designs, their unique shape made them a rural icon. Round barns built from 1880 to the 1930s represent the height of construction in North America. However, their construction can be divided by two overlapping eras. The first phase was the octagonal or multi-sided style from 1850 to 1900. And the second period was the true circular version built from 1889 to 1936. Numerous round barns that have been preserved in the United States are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The circular design offered greater volume-to-surface ratio. Studies by the Kansas State Board of Agriculture estimated a 34 to 58 percent savings in building costs compared to a square or rectangular barn. An important engineering design was the self-supporting roof free of posts. This provided open interior space on all levels. Therefore, more area for animals, storage, and equipment.
Feed was stored in the center. This made it more convenient to distribute feed in the trough as the animals faced inward. Later round barns included a silo in the very center. The round shape offered better lighting and ventilation as windows surrounded the exterior of the stable area.
Historic Washington Barn
In 1792, George Washington conceived a plan for a new barn complex at Dogue Run Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia. Construction began in 1793 on a sixteen-sided barn, one of five working barns on his 8,000 acre estate. Its primary function was grain processing and storage. It was built in a radically different manner with several unique features.
Washington was familiar with the use of animals to separate grain from the stalk. It was done by horses treading on the stalks to separate the grain from the head. An earthen ramp provided entry for the horses. The structure was enclosed to keep the horses out of the elements.
The barn was constructed with a circular wooded treading floor on the second level. The treading floor was laid with small spaces between the board. This allowed the separated grain to fall through to octagonal shaped storage bins. When completely dry, the grain was sent to the mill. The building was designed conceptionally as both a machine to separate grain and a structure.
Washington is credited with the concept of a polygonal shaped barn. The polygonal or multi-sided barn provided ease of construction rather than curved walls of a perfectly circular structure. And the roughly circular footprint facilitated the treading horses.
Explaining the use of sixteen sides rather than any other even number was not fully understood. However, it may have been related to the octagonal shape of the interior framing system. To withstand the weight and wear of the trotting horses, the flooring was made of white oak. The remainder of the building was constructed of pine with the exception of the roof and the ground floor.
Hancock Shaker Round Barn
The United Society of Shakers is a religious group formed in 18th century England. They were well known for innovation that stressed efficiency and economy.
The Shaker round barn was built in 1926. The building consisted of stone walls, nearly a yard wide. The interior was mortise and tenon construction. It was recognized for its distinctive structure and is considered an agricultural wonder. Built as a bank barn at nearly 90 feet in diameter, it originally stabled 52 dairy cows.
The barn offered ground-level entry on all three levels. Horse-drawn wagons entered the upper level to deposit hay into the central haymow on the main floor. Space allowed the horses to be driven around the circular barn floor and exit where they had entered. This eliminated the possibility of dangerous activity from backing wagons out of the barn.
The cows stabled on the lower floor were tied inward, which allowed the ease of feeding the stored hay from above. Manure was forked through trapdoors into the cellar and stored until needed for fertilizer in the gardens. The Shakers maintained a working dairy farm at Hancock into the 1950s. The barn has been restored and is available for viewing at the Hancock Shaker Village Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Neff Round Barn
The Neff Round Barn is one of the most recognizable rural structures in Centre County, Pennsylvania. The barn is believed to be the first round design in the county when it was built.
After his retirement as a school teacher in Penns Valley, Calvin Neff built the barn for his dairy farm in 1910. For construction, he was assisted by Aaron Thomas, a local carpenter.
The barn is built with a silo in the center. It served for storage and structural support. With grain stored at the top of the silo on the second floor, gravity served to drop grain and hay into feeding bins on the lower level. Neff captured the advantage of labor savings with this structure design.
The barn is 56 feet high and 88 feet in diameter. With these dimensions, the Neff Barn was one of the largest in the county at the time of construction. The structure consisted of white pine built on a limestone foundation.
There are two distinct floors, the mow floor and the cattle floor below. The mow floor can be accessed through double doors on the north side via an earthen ramp. The large silo sits in the center with grain bins extended from it. There is ample space for a wagon drawn by a team of horses to enter, circle the interior, and exit without backing out.
The lower level for livestock contains numerous stalls and pens. A feed alley sits between the silo and the first sill where outlets from grain boxes are located. Like the first floor, there is space behind the cattle stalls for horses to draw a manure spreader to gather the manure.
The well maintained barn is still used for storage of hay and farm machinery. While on the National Register of Historic Places, it has not been used for full farm operations in several decades.
Manchester Round Barn
The J.H. Manchester Round Barn in New Hampshire, Ohio is one of the most photographed barns in America. It was built in 1908 by Horace Duncan for farmer Jason H. Manchester. Jason Manchester migrated from Vermont at age 12 with his family in 1865.
His father began farming on 500 acres of unfarmed land. He aspired to be recognized as a model farmer who encouraged new technology and engineering, such as the round barn and modern harvesting techniques. Under Jason Manchester’s ownership, the farm eventually grew to 1,000 acres at the time of his death.
Considered one of the larger round barns in the United States, it measures 102 feet in diameter. There are two tiers with the upper floor at 70 feet in diameter. The height is 88 feet with a domed, gambled roof. Lumber for construction was harvested from the Great Black Swamp in northern Ohio.
The interior echoes Shaker design as hay and feed were stored in the center. And the livestock was housed around the circumference. The original color was a reddish orange, as Manchester bought the paint through a bankruptcy sale. Wishing the barn to look more prestigious, Manchester painted it white. Today it has come full circle, repainted dark red. The Manchester Family remain owners of this well preserved round barn.
The Round Barn Theatre
Indiana is reported to have had more round barns than any other state with the first one built in 1874. At one time, Indiana had about 225 round barns. Today, there are fewer than 100 still standing in the Hoosier state.
The Round Barn Theatre is located in The Barns, formally Amish Acres, owned by Marlin and Christy Stutzman of Nappanee, Indiana. The original building was constructed in 1913. It was dismantled and relocated to its current site in 1998.
Robert Holdeman of Traverse City, Michigan designed the plans for conversion into a state of the art performing arts center. Restoration for the barn/theatre was completed by 1970. The primary purpose of was preserving and restoring the buildings for the public’s guided tours of history and local culture. The secondary purpose was to introduce and formalize Amish tourism in the Indiana city of Nappanee.
The barn is 60 feet in diameter and stands 60 feet tall. To facilitate the building’s use, insulation is sandwiched between new barn siding inside and outside the frame. A post and beam straw shed was added shortly after reconstruction to serve as the theatre’s forestage.
Schulz Round Barn
The Schulz Round Barn located in Pontiac, Illinois remains in active use. After viewing the demonstration barns at the University of Illinois, the owner arranged for its construction in 1918. It was one of the last round barns built in Illinois.
John P. Olson, of the National Trust for Historic Preservation noted, “Barns were like community centers. When they weren’t full of hay, they became dance halls and meeting places. Everything seemed to happen in one locale, either the church or the barn.”
The National Trust made an annual award in honor of the program’s a co-founder, Mary Humstone. In 1999, the Humstone award went to Bill Nolan of Pontiac who restored the Schulz Round Barn.
The 60’ diameter barn rests on a poured concrete foundation. Protective covering consists of vertical wood siding and asphalt shingles. The barn has several architectural features: (1) a semi-circular shaped roof, (2) four transversely located dormers, and (3) an ornate cupola.
The barn is constructed around a centrally located poured-concrete silo. Feed storage on the second floor loft can be forked or scooped into ground level manages for cows or horses. The entry ways are located on opposite sides. The cupola is estimated to be 40’ above ground level.
Following restoration, Bill Nolan utilized the round barn in conjunction with his Interglobe Genetics business. The barn was one of several buildings where bulls were housed for semen collection. The facilities are currently owned by a veterinarian practice.
World’s Largest Round Barn
The World’s largest Round Barn is located in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The barn was conceived by the Central Wisconsin Holstein Breeders Association in the early 1900s. It was originally built as a show barn and arena. The first fair was held September 1, 1916, and it continues to be used for that purpose today.
The construction bid was $6,000 with Thanksgiving Day 1915 as the launch date. The framework was done during the winter months. Instead of using scaffolding, the contractors started at the bottom of the building and worked their way up. The only supporting beams are the cross beams beneath the cupola. Floors along with 250 stanchions were completed in the following spring. In 1917, a second floor was added.
The barn’s diameter is 150 feet with a height of 70 feet at the top of the cupola. Wood used for construction consisted of white oak, hemlock, and pine. It was estimated that 88,000 shingles were used for the roofing. Wooden bleachers that seated about 1,000 people encircled the show ring. As a result of decay, the windows were replaced in 2022 at a cost of $140,000.
Cordukes/Weber Canadian Barn
Although not a round barn, the three Canadian 12-sided barns are historic structures. The first is the Wallbridge barn built in 1881 and located in Mystic, Quebec. The second is the Cordukes/ Weber barn built in 1919 in Sowerby, Ontario. And the third such barn was constructed in 1928 near Thessalon, Ontario.
Thomas Cordukes who was born near Mystic, Quebec, moved to Sowerby, Ontario in 1881. He was described by his family as an experimental farmer who had an inspiring mind, open to new ideas. As a result of return trips to Mystic, Cordukes became familiar with the Wallbridge barn.
Following the Wallbridge barn concept, Cordukes built his 12-sided barn in 1919. Through the years, the Cordukes/Weber barn was showing deterioration. In 2007, the new owners, Kent and Kathy Weber donated the barn to the municipality for preservation. Dedicated community members developed plans to preserve its historic value. With assistance by local Mennonites, the barn was dismantled at its original site. It was then moved and erected anew next to Sowerby Hall.
The 12-sided barn is 60 feet in diameter and 75 feet in height. A chicken coop extension was added to the original structure. The wellpreserved building is utilized for community events, meetings, and private parties/functions. It is also the location for the Sowerby Farmers’ Market held each Saturday from June to mid-October.
Conclusion
The popularity of round barns declined with the onset of rural electrification. In addition, advances in machinery diminished their laborsaving design.
The last known record for historic barns in the United States was 1970. At that time, there were 444 round barns which included polygonal structures. At the same point in time, there were 19 such barns in Canada. Those remaining are a distinct icon whether in their rural setting or relocation for commercial value.
This article was originally published in Plain Communities Business Exchange (PCBE) and is being reprinted with permission. For subscription information to PCBE, phone: 717.362.1118 or visit www. pcbe.us.
About the author: Freelance writer Fred Hendricks of Mansfield, Ohio, covers a vast array of subjects relating to agriculture. You may Email Fred at [email protected]
