Round Barn
The round barn is an idiosyncratic and unusual type that was a product of agricultural reform movements. Round barn advocates believed that the round shape not only saved on construction costs, but also offered a more efficient space for animal husbandry than did the traditional right-angle construction.
Their enthusiasm did not turn out to be widely shared; construction was difficult, and the round plan was impractical for such daily necessities as manure removal. The few remaining round barns have become beloved landmarks in the localities they survive. They are scattered throughout the state. Many are actually octagonal rather than round.
Neff Round Barn, Centre County, c. 1910
Note
This is a static, archived version of the PHMC Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project website which will not be updated. It is a snapshot of the website with minor modifications as it appeared on August 26, 2015.
Pages in this Section
- Overview
- House Types
- Barn Types
- Barn Features
- Outbuilding Types
- Overview
- Bake Oven
- Butcher House
- Carriage House
- Cider House
- Combination Structure
- Cook House
- Corn Crib
- Dryhouse
- Fruit Cold Storage
- Garage
- Grain Bin
- Granary
- Greenhouse
- Hay Drying Shed
- Hog House
- Horse Barn
- Ice House
- Machine Shed
- Maple Sugar House
- Milk House
- Packing House
- Potato Storage Cellar
- Poultry Housing
- Privy
- Roadside Stand
- Root Cellar
- Scale House
- Shed
- Silo
- Smokehouse
- Spray Shed
- Springhouse
- Summer Kitchen
- Wagon Shed
- Wash House
- Wood Shed
- Worker Housing
- Workshop
- Landscape Elements
- Archaeological Features