List of round barns

1917-built Leonard Barn in Washington state

What are termed round barns include historic barns having true circular designs and also octagonal or other polygonal designs that approximate a circle. In the United States, in a first era of round barn construction, from 1850 to 1900, numerous octagonal barns were built. In a second era, from 1889 to 1936, numerous true circular barns were built.[1][2]

This list article includes surviving or historic round barns in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere. There were 19 historic round and polygonal barns in Canada identified as surviving in the 1970s, in a list compiled by members of a club and typed up by Katherine Kirkam.[3] According to Matthew Farfan, nine round barns survive in the Eastern Townships of the province of Quebec, all close to the U.S. border.[4][note 1]

Besides paying attention to Canadian barns, Kirkham also studied American barns; in the 1970s, she identified 444 surviving barns in the United States.[3] Many of them are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

Dale J. Travis has identified and photographed (or collected photos of) round barns and other round or polygonal buildings throughout the United States and Canada.[6] His webpages document the loss of numerous historic round barns.

The periods during which round barns were built varies across U.S. states. Most of Indiana's round barns were built between 1900 and 1920, and their construction peaked in 1910. Iowa's peak years were from 1909 to 1922. All 44 of the historic round barns built in South Dakota were built between 1903 and 1946. North Dakota's peak years were from 1910 to 1916. South Dakota had none built before 1900 because the state had yet to be developed.[7]

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  1. ^ Auer, Michael J. The Preservation of Historic Barns Archived 2011-02-19 at the Wayback Machine, Preservation Briefs, National Park Service, first published October 1989. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
  2. ^ Round and Polygonal Barns of Indiana, (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Round Barn Capital of the World?". Fulton County Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-07-09. A list of all the round barns in the United States compiled by members of the Covered Bridge Society and typed by Katherine Kirkham in 1970s lists 444 round and polygonal barns in the U. S. and 19 in Canada.
  4. ^ Matthew Farfan. "Round Barns". TownshipsHeritage WebMagazine. Archived from the original on 2011-08-29. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "Round Barns and Covered Bridges". www.dalejtravis.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  7. ^ Jerry McMahan (October 18, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Round and Polygonal Barns of Indiana". National Park Service.


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