Barns
Part I:
A barn is one of America’s icons, one that is representative of the cultivation of the land and as housing for farm animals. Barns were usually built by neighbors who all pitched in to build, paint and trim the structure. There were no architects involved; the barn was copied from one either down the road or in a style that had captured the farmer’s fancy. They used the wood that was available, making sure that there were two large doors at each rectangle end of the structure and the long sides were covered with window after window in order to provide ventilation. The main floor was sectioned into stalls for the cows and pens for the other animals. A long wooden stair led to the huge upper floor where hay was kept — assuring that it would keep dry as well as provide ample food and bedding for the animals below.
There were many styles of barns, but the gambrel-roofed barn is the type that you tend to see in the Midwest. This type usually indicates a European influence — often German.
The purpose of the gambrel roof is to make the most use of the space within the roof area. The Dutch gambrel had a curve at the eaves where the rafter was joined with a “Dutch knuckle” extension; this was also used for small barns and outbuildings.
No one knows for sure how the idea for the round barn began. Eric Sloane in his book, “An Age of Barns,” indicates that some evidence points to a religious origin. In the 1800s, farming flourished in America, so did the association between the farmer and the church. Farmers were believed to be close to God because of the nature of their work that kept them close to nature — also the farmer was a “model of sober living, hard work, seldom a changer of money, and incessantly a toiler to better the land.” There were also religious sects that specialized in agriculture, such as the Shakers, the Quakers and the Holy Rollers. The circle frequently became their theme — “sewing circles,” singing circles,” and “praying circles.” Farmers made circular designs on their barns, and their wives sewed circular designs on quilts. There is a saying that the round barn was intended “to keep the devil from hiding in the corners.”
We seldom see a round barn in southwest Minnesota — but there were a few of them. J.A. Josefson, a longtime resident of the Minneota area, compiled the following synopsis that describes the Josephson’s Round Barn that he gave to me some years ago. I share his description for the reader’s enjoyment.
JOSEPHSON ROUND BARN
“Victor Josephson built the big round barn northeast of Minneota in 1913. To build this unique structure he employed Ole Vastrand, an immigrant from Norway who also built the Westerheim Icelandic Lutheran Church. This splendid structure was accidentally demolished while being moved to Marshall in 1956.
The huge round barn stands on the south bank of the Yellow Medicine River about 40 rods west of County Road No. 10, five and one half miles northeast of Minneota. The site is on the northeast quarter of Section VIII, Westerheim township. It must be seen — especially one should go up into the hay barn — to be appreciated.
It was damaged by windstorm in 1935 and was braced and trussed with steel rods to make it more structurally sound by E.O. Hallgrimson and A.J. Snidal. All these fine artisans along with Victor Josephson have long since gone to their reward.
Victor Josephson was a quiet, scholarly man who graduated from Minneota High School in 1908 in its fourth graduating class. He was a good baseball pitcher and a distance runner. Solid geometry was not offered in Minneota at that time so after studying plane geometry he acquired a solid geometry textbook and studied it by himself — passing the state examination which was the standard of performance at that time for all students. It might be good if students today had to pass state boards as they were commonly called. That would provide a uniform standard.”
Following high school Mr. Josephson attended the College of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota. This was where he got the idea for the round barn and decided to raise purebred Aberdeen Angus cattle, which he did for over 50 years. The barn also provided space for 16 work horses when first built. He had one of the first tractors. A Flour City — forerunner of the Minneapolis — which pulled six bottoms and operated a 32 inch Case separator.”
(Continued next week)
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