Lewis Round Barn
Encyclopedia
The Lewis Round Barn is located in Mendon, Illinois
, in northwestern Adams County
. It is one of 14 round barns recognized by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on Jan. 29, 2003.
, so to speak. Having heard about three round barn
s built around 1900 for the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois
, he was intrigued. The efficiency of the round barn's structure is what impressed Lewis. But Lewis didn't need the university's barns, he needed a much larger barn. His mind began to build a vision, a vision of a barn that was much larger than any round barn built in the Midwest at the time. He selected 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of timbered land from the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) Grove Place, a recent acquisition of his father's estate. The land was thick with large elm
and oak
trees, as well as other native Illinois tree species. Lewis built a portable sawmill
at the site and hired several men to log the land with cross-cut saws and axes, all the while working the logs into lumber and piling them to air dry. This went on during the fall and on, into the winter of 1911.
Lambert Huber, a noted area carpenter, was hired as architect, engineer and building foreman and though he had never built a round barn he decided to undertake the project. Even with Huber hired construction on the barn could not commence until 1914, when all the lumber had cured sufficiently.
The project itself was somewhat complicated, even for a round barn. The roof of the barn was to be an entirely self supporting dome
without structural support save the outside walls of the building. The four section rafters of the roof would be reinforced at each of the joints. The project began in earnest with the digging of ditches where concrete foundation footings were poured, the footings would support the outer, circular wall. A 24 feet (7.3 m) diameter circle was laid out in order to accommodate the silo
and silage feeding bunk around the silo.
A 40 feet (12.2 m) stave silo was constructed at the site, with an 18 feet (5.5 m) diameter. The silo was constructed out of one piece Douglas fir staves that had been totally cleared of knots. The barn itself had siding of one inch by 12 inches (304.8 mm) white pine and long, wooden shingles made from Western red cedar. Out of all the wood required to construct the Lewis Round Barn only the shingles and sidings had to be purchased, the rest came from the woodland that was logged to create the barn site.
Once concrete pillars were poured into the holes dug in the ground foundations of the 6 X 6 posts supporting the circular haymow at the site the dome shaped roof could be erected. The rafters were assembled on the mow floor, it was hefting them into place that presented the challenge. Each of the rafters, 50 feet (15.2 m) in length, were made of heavy, hardwood lumber. The roof construction required the building of a 46 feet (14 m) scaffold structure from the haymow floor up. A 10 feet (3 m) diameter laminated wooden, circular ring was built at a carpentry shop in Camp Point
and placed atop the scaffold. These additions dramatically increased efficiency but there were not enough workers to raise the massive beams. The problem of the raising of the rafters would be solved by an old horse.
One of Lewis' favorite horses, "Old Kit", came into play. With a series of ropes and pulleys, a boom pole and the horse the rafters were slowly lifted into place. Each rafter was raised and nailed into place on the barn's top ring. As three or four of the rafters were raised into place it became apparent that a high wind could take the partially completed roof structure down, workers hoped for no high winds. Their hopes were granted and no high winds arose until all of the rafters were raised the roof was complete. To top off the dome a cupola
roof was added with a lightning rod. At the very top a weather vane
was added with a steer said to be covered in gold leaf
.
With the barn complete Huber remarked that he had lost many hours of sleep trying to figure out the many specification of the building as well as its numerous parts. Though he thought the barn a complete success he said he would never build another round barn.
had to be replaced with new concrete. Window openings were covered with plexiglas and a cable was installed around the outside of the barn to prevent further spreading of the building. It was then that the Lewis family decided if the barn was to survive the 21st century it would need continued care and maintenance. The family donated the barn to the Adams County Olde Tyme Association. The association proposed a bold move for the historic site.
Two sets of old shingles were peeled from the roof. Chain saws hacked the roof into numerous pie-shaped pieces. The haymow and the outside walls were dismantled and moved to the new site. The barn was gone, only the silo remained standing, a solitary testament to history. The Association contracted a crane to pick up the entire silo and lay it down on a flat bed truck trailer. Then a heavy duty farm tractor came in to pull the silo down the hill. As the tractor started up the hill the silo looked as if it were going to collapse inwardly so the tractor was stopped and the silo chained off to a tree overnight until the Amish carpenters could reinforce the silo's bracing. The next day the silo was slowly pulled over gravel country roads, the State of Illinois would not permit the silo to travel over concrete State Highways, to its new site.
At the new site the walls were re-erected. High winds threatened to derail the entire project when the walls were blown down before they could be stabilized, oddly echoing the very concerns that the workers on the original construction of the barn had voiced nearly a century earlier. When the walls came down they took part of the first rafters with them and the project looked doomed. It was not, however, and the walls were re-erected, the project went forward. When the roof was finished off a replica cupola was installed on the top and the project was a total success.
Mendon, Illinois
Mendon is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 883 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Mendon is located at ....
, in northwestern Adams County
Adams County, Illinois
Adams County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 67,103, which is a decrease of 1.7% from 68,277 in 2000...
. It is one of 14 round barns recognized by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on Jan. 29, 2003.
Construction
When Charles E. Lewis decided he needed a large barn for his large herd of cattle and hogs he thought outside the boxThinking outside the box
Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking....
, so to speak. Having heard about three round barn
Round barn
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 1880–1920 represent the height of round barn construction. Round barn...
s built around 1900 for the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, he was intrigued. The efficiency of the round barn's structure is what impressed Lewis. But Lewis didn't need the university's barns, he needed a much larger barn. His mind began to build a vision, a vision of a barn that was much larger than any round barn built in the Midwest at the time. He selected 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of timbered land from the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) Grove Place, a recent acquisition of his father's estate. The land was thick with large elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees, as well as other native Illinois tree species. Lewis built a portable sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at the site and hired several men to log the land with cross-cut saws and axes, all the while working the logs into lumber and piling them to air dry. This went on during the fall and on, into the winter of 1911.
Lambert Huber, a noted area carpenter, was hired as architect, engineer and building foreman and though he had never built a round barn he decided to undertake the project. Even with Huber hired construction on the barn could not commence until 1914, when all the lumber had cured sufficiently.
The project itself was somewhat complicated, even for a round barn. The roof of the barn was to be an entirely self supporting dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
without structural support save the outside walls of the building. The four section rafters of the roof would be reinforced at each of the joints. The project began in earnest with the digging of ditches where concrete foundation footings were poured, the footings would support the outer, circular wall. A 24 feet (7.3 m) diameter circle was laid out in order to accommodate the silo
Storage silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use...
and silage feeding bunk around the silo.
A 40 feet (12.2 m) stave silo was constructed at the site, with an 18 feet (5.5 m) diameter. The silo was constructed out of one piece Douglas fir staves that had been totally cleared of knots. The barn itself had siding of one inch by 12 inches (304.8 mm) white pine and long, wooden shingles made from Western red cedar. Out of all the wood required to construct the Lewis Round Barn only the shingles and sidings had to be purchased, the rest came from the woodland that was logged to create the barn site.
Once concrete pillars were poured into the holes dug in the ground foundations of the 6 X 6 posts supporting the circular haymow at the site the dome shaped roof could be erected. The rafters were assembled on the mow floor, it was hefting them into place that presented the challenge. Each of the rafters, 50 feet (15.2 m) in length, were made of heavy, hardwood lumber. The roof construction required the building of a 46 feet (14 m) scaffold structure from the haymow floor up. A 10 feet (3 m) diameter laminated wooden, circular ring was built at a carpentry shop in Camp Point
Camp Point, Illinois
Camp Point is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,244 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.Journalist and historian Allan Nevins was born in Camp Point on 20 May 1890....
and placed atop the scaffold. These additions dramatically increased efficiency but there were not enough workers to raise the massive beams. The problem of the raising of the rafters would be solved by an old horse.
One of Lewis' favorite horses, "Old Kit", came into play. With a series of ropes and pulleys, a boom pole and the horse the rafters were slowly lifted into place. Each rafter was raised and nailed into place on the barn's top ring. As three or four of the rafters were raised into place it became apparent that a high wind could take the partially completed roof structure down, workers hoped for no high winds. Their hopes were granted and no high winds arose until all of the rafters were raised the roof was complete. To top off the dome a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
roof was added with a lightning rod. At the very top a weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
was added with a steer said to be covered in gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
.
With the barn complete Huber remarked that he had lost many hours of sleep trying to figure out the many specification of the building as well as its numerous parts. Though he thought the barn a complete success he said he would never build another round barn.
20th century renovations
The barn served Lewis' purpose for many years but time began to take its toll. In the late 50s or early 60s the weight of the cupola caused part of the roof start sagging. The cupola was removed and the hole was shingled over. Eventually the entire roof was reshingled and in the recent past five of the Lewis brothers and a cousin held a working weekend to make repairs. A portion of the barn had to be jacked up and a major foundation buttressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
had to be replaced with new concrete. Window openings were covered with plexiglas and a cable was installed around the outside of the barn to prevent further spreading of the building. It was then that the Lewis family decided if the barn was to survive the 21st century it would need continued care and maintenance. The family donated the barn to the Adams County Olde Tyme Association. The association proposed a bold move for the historic site.
Moving the barn
The barn could be moved, the association proposed, moved 25 miles (40.2 km) away, to a site near the Adams County Fair Grounds. The barn's importance was demonstrated when the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency awarded a $150,000 grant to assist in the moving and restoration of the Lewis Round Barn. The project faced much criticism, many thinking the Olde Tyme Association had lost its marbles if it believed the nearly 100 year structure could be successfully moved. Regardless, the project steamed forward. The plans got off the drawing board in early 2000 when a contract was awarded to a group of Amish carpenters and work began.Two sets of old shingles were peeled from the roof. Chain saws hacked the roof into numerous pie-shaped pieces. The haymow and the outside walls were dismantled and moved to the new site. The barn was gone, only the silo remained standing, a solitary testament to history. The Association contracted a crane to pick up the entire silo and lay it down on a flat bed truck trailer. Then a heavy duty farm tractor came in to pull the silo down the hill. As the tractor started up the hill the silo looked as if it were going to collapse inwardly so the tractor was stopped and the silo chained off to a tree overnight until the Amish carpenters could reinforce the silo's bracing. The next day the silo was slowly pulled over gravel country roads, the State of Illinois would not permit the silo to travel over concrete State Highways, to its new site.
At the new site the walls were re-erected. High winds threatened to derail the entire project when the walls were blown down before they could be stabilized, oddly echoing the very concerns that the workers on the original construction of the barn had voiced nearly a century earlier. When the walls came down they took part of the first rafters with them and the project looked doomed. It was not, however, and the walls were re-erected, the project went forward. When the roof was finished off a replica cupola was installed on the top and the project was a total success.