Architecture
The 55 foot (16.8 m) diameter Gerald Harbach Round Barn stands upon a poured concrete foundation near the unincorporated community of Eleroy in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The wood sided exterior has been covered in asphalt since the building's construction. The barn's main, ground level entrance, is in the west quadrant and over the entrance is the loft door which is a rectangular opening in the ceiling. Each rafter of the single hip roof is braced with a nailed beam four feet (1.2 m) above and four feet (1.2 m) below, on the opposite side, the roof hip. In addition, there are beams nailed diagonally between the studs in the loft to brace the building against strong winds. [2] The roof exterior is capped with a short cupola.
Out of the extant barns in Stephenson County that have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places the Harbach Round Barn is the most altered from its original state. The two, interior loft plates have been replaced with steel beams, hoisted by steel jacks. The animal entrance, in the southeast quadrant of the barn, has also been sealed since the building is primarily used for storage. [2]
The precise builder and designer of the Harbach Round Barn are unknown. The characteristics of the roof joints and studs suggest that the barn was built around the same time as the Charles Fehr Round Barn, near Orangeville, and the James Bruce Round Barn near Freeport, though, much like the designer, the exact date of construction is unknown. The Bruce Round Barn, a Shaffer and Haas structure was built in 1914. [3] These characteristics also suggest that the barn was designed by the Haas Brothers – Jeremiah Shaffer team. [2]
Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The town's sign lists the population at 800 as of January 2021. The population in 2020 was 738. The population according to the 2010 census was 793, up from 751 in 2000. Using the 2020 population of 738 Orangeville is the 741st largest city in Illinois and the 11,650th largest city in the United States. Orangeville is currently declining at a rate of -0.94% annually and its population has decreased by -6.94% since the 2010 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in the year 1833, and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867 Orangeville was incorporated as a village. The town's central business district contains several 19th century commercial buildings, many of which were built during the railroad boom of 1888–1914. By the time the Great Depression was ongoing, business in Orangeville had started to decline, with the last bank closing in 1932. In 1956 another bank started operating in the village and is still in town today. Some recent infrastructure jumps have restored some of the village's old decor.
The Joseph F. Glidden House is located in the United States in the DeKalb County, Illinois city of DeKalb. It was the home to the famed inventor of barbed wire Joseph Glidden. The barn, still located on the property near several commercial buildings, is said to be where Glidden perfected his improved version of barbed wire which would eventually transform him into a successful entrepreneur. The Glidden House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The home was designed by another barbed wire patent holder in DeKalb, Jacob Haish.
A round barn is a historic barn design that could be octagonal, polygonal, or circular in plan. Though round barns were not as popular as some other barn designs, their unique shape makes them noticeable. The years from 1880 to 1920 represent the height of round barn construction. Round barn construction in the United States can be divided into two overlapping eras. The first, the octagonal era, spanned from 1850 to 1900. The second, the true circular era, spanned from 1889 to 1936. The overlap meant that round barns of both types, polygonal and circular, were built during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Numerous round barns in the United States are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Round Barns in Illinois was the subject of a Multiple Property Submission to the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. state of Illinois. The submission consists of 18 Illinois round barns located throughout the state. The list had major additions in 1982 and 1984. In 1983, 1992 and 2003 one property was added to the submission and in 1994 a historic district at the University of Illinois, including three round barns, was added to the submission and the National Register of Historic Places. The highest concentration of round barns on the submission occurs in Stephenson County. Five Stephenson County round barns were added to the National Register on February 23, 1984.
The University of Illinois Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District, also known as South Farm, is a designated historic district in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois. The district consists of eight contributing structures and several non-contributing structures. The district was designated in 1994 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Multiple Property Submission concerning Round Barns in Illinois. Three of the district's buildings are early 20th century round barns constructed between 1908 and 1912. The district covers a total area of 6 acres (2 ha).
The Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn is located on the grounds of a retirement community in the Cook County village of Arlington Heights in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a 50 feet (15 m) diameter barn built in approximately 1910.
The Raymond Schulz Round Barn or Raymond Schultz Round Barn is a round barn in the U.S. state of Illinois. The barn was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1982, as part of the original Multiple Property Submission, Round Barns in Illinois Thematic Resources.
The Virginia Tillery Round Barn is a round barn located on County Route 738 west of White Hall in Greene County, Illinois. The barn was built in the fall of 1912 for farmer Harry C. Price. With a 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m) diameter, the barn is relatively small for an Illinois round barn; the median diameter of Illinois round barns was 60 feet (18 m). Its size suggests that it served as a general-purpose barn, not a dairy barn like the state's larger round barns. Brown tile blocks were used to build the barn, which is topped by a wood shingle roof with a cupola.
The Clarence Kleinkopf Round Barn is a round barn in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The correct GPS coordinates are: 40.45506936294263, -90.81113789160236. Carpenter Dick Carmack built the barn in 1915 for farmer George Welch. The wooden barn has a diameter of 56 feet (17 m) and a shingled hip roof. The barn's entrances are on the west, south, and northwest sides. A haymow encircles three-quarters of the barn at the roof's base, and a ventilator sits at the roof's peak.
Ron George Round Barn is a round barn northeast of the U.S. village of Romeoville, Illinois. It was originally constructed for Frank Eaton c. 1912–13 in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
The three University of Illinois round barns played a special role in the promotion and popularity of the American round barn. They are located in Urbana Township, on the border of the U.S. city of Urbana, Illinois and on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The University of Illinois was home to one of the Agricultural Experiment Stations, located at U.S. universities, which were at the heart of the promotion of the round barn. At least one round barn in Illinois was built specifically after its owner viewed the barns at the university. Though originally an experiment the three barns helped to lead the way for round barn construction throughout the Midwest, particularly in Illinois. The barns were listed as contributing properties to the U of I Experimental Dairy Farm Historic District, which was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Robert Weber Round Barn is a round barn located east of Durand, Illinois, United States along Illinois Route 75 in Harrison Township. The Weber barn was constructed in 1917 and features a roof designed and built by the Haas Brothers, who worked on other area round barns. The barn is 55 feet (17 m) in diameter and features a 24-foot (7.3 m) diameter central silo. The design of the Weber Round Barn stands out from other area round barns in its vitrified tile walls, a development used in later period American round barns. The Robert Weber Round Barn was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The John H. Addams Homestead, also known as the Jane Addams Birthplace, is located in the Stephenson County village of Cedarville, Illinois, United States. The homestead property, a 5.5-acre (22,000 m2) site, includes an 1840s era Federal style house, a Pennsylvania-style barn, and the remains of John H. Addams' mill complex. The house was built in two portions, in 1846 and 1854 by Addams; he added some minor additions during the 1870s. Other major alterations took place during a 1950s modernization of the home. The homestead has been noted for its significance to industry and politics. On September 6, 1860, future Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams was born in the house.
The James Bruce Round Barn is a round barn located near the Stephenson County, Illinois city of Freeport, United States. The barn was constructed in 1914 by the team of Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas Brothers, who were responsible for at least a dozen round barns in the area. The barn features a single hip roof design which was probably influenced by the Agricultural Experiment Stations at the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Bruce Round Barn was the last known round barn designed by the Shaffer–Haas team. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as part of a multiple property submission in 1984.
The Dennis Otte Round Barn is a round barn in the U.S. state of Illinois near the unincorporated Stephenson County community of Eleroy. The barn was built in 1930 by Herman Altenbern and has a diameter of 54 feet. The barn is representative of the last round barn design variations that evolved. The Otte Round Barn was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The Charles Fehr Round Barn is a round barn in the U.S. state of Illinois near the Stephenson County village of Orangeville. The barn was built in 1912 by the team of Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas Brothers about one half mile from the Illinois–Wisconsin state border. The building is the first round barn in the Stephenson County area, home to 31 round barns, with a hip roof. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The People's State Bank building is located in the Stephenson County village of Orangeville, Illinois, United States. The structure was erected in 1926 when two Orangeville banks merged to form the People's State Bank. It operated until 1932 when it became overwhelmed by an economic disaster caused by the Great Depression and the bypassing of downtown Orangeville by an important route. The building is cast in the Commercial style and features Classical Revival detailing, common for banks of the time period. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Central House is an 1860s hotel building located in the 800-person village of Orangeville, in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The building was built by Orangeville founder John Bower and operated as a hotel from its construction until the 1930s, when it was converted for use as a single family residence. The three-story building was the first commercial brick structure in downtown Orangeville. Architecturally, the building is cast in a mid-19th-century Italianate style. Central House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The Union House, also known as the John Bower House, is a small, mostly Gothic Revival house in downtown Orangeville, Illinois, United States. The house, the first brick home in Orangeville, was built in 1849 by village founder John Bower. It was purchased by Samuel Hutchins in 1885 and it remained in the Hutchins family until 1951. The house blends elements of Greek and Gothic Revival architecture and is the only example of Gothic Revival found in the village of Orangeville. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The Galena–Chicago trail was a stagecoach route located in northern Illinois that ran from the mid-to-late 1830s until 1854. As indicated by its name, the route linked Chicago, located in the northeast of the state, with Galena which was located in the lead mining district of the northwest. The Chicago-Galena trail includes the "Stagecoach Trail" that runs between Galena and Lena, Illinois. East of Lena the stage route follows U.S. Route 20 and Business U.S. Route 20 through Eleroy, Freeport and Rockford to Belvidere. This road began as the old State Road number 2 established on 15 January 1836 and laid out by June 1837.
