A Little Bit Country—Raising the Roofs on Round Barns
Washington's 16-sided Barn
Barns are just plain fascinating! I love the smell of the fresh hay, the sound of the animals, and the varying architecture of the structures. I have always thought I had a little cowgirl in me and as I donned my cowboy boots early this morning, I decided my Blog would follow suit—We would go just a little bit country and discuss barns—not just any old barns, but big round ones!
In the 1790s Washington tried to increase the production of wheat with a new sixteen-sided threshing barn. Threshing, or separating the wheat from the chaff, was customarily accomplished in two ways, by hand or by horse. In the hand-held method laborers would use a wooden instrument called a flail to strike the wheat on large wooden floors in rectangular barns. The force of the flail knocked loose the grain. The other method was known as treading. This involved laying the wheat outdoors in a large circle or oval and driving horses atop the wheat, their stamping hooves performing the same task as the flails. Washington, ever the innovative farmer, combined these two ideas and designed a two-story, 16-sided treading barn for Mount Vernon’s Dogue Run Farm. One of the objectives of the barn was to produce a cleaner and more marketable product by removing the treading of wheat from a dirt barnyard and away from wind and rain. A second goal was to keep the grain secure. Washington was concerned about theft so his plan called for barred windows on the lower level and he specifically ordered a lock on the lower door. (Fusonie, pg 20).
His round barn was built into an embankment, which allowed the horses to enter on the upper floor by way of an earthen ramp. The upper level floor had floorboards exactly spaced 1 1/2 inch apart to allow the grain, separated from the straw in the treading process, to fall through to the lower level. On the lower level the grain was shoveled into the center, cleaned and then shipped in barrels or bags to Washington’s gristmill. George Washington calculated that the foundation and first floor would require 30,820 bricks. The upper level was wood. Washington’s round barn, considered a milestone in American farm architecture, was so well-built that it would remain standing well into the 19th century. It was torn down about 1875 and was recreated at Mount Vernon., Visitors today can visit the 52 foot diameter barn and enter the second story where more than 4,000 linear feet of 2.5 inch-square oak treading floorboards have been nailed into place with 2,600 six-inch wrought iron spikes. Horses are still brought in to “tread” the wheat in the way the General envisioned (Fusonie, pg 21-22 & Mount Vernon’s web site).
Oklahoma also has a famous “round” barn located in Arcadia on Route 66. This circular edifice was built in 1898 for livestock and the occasional local dance. The 60′ diameter dome collapsed in 1988. It has been lovingly restored and now the round barn (like Washington’s, it was also two stories) is once again open for parties. The structure was created in a curved shape because it was “originally thought that the curved form would help it withstand Oklahoma’s tornadic conditions. Who knows if it is scientifically accurate, but the barn is still standing after 107 years! (The Arcadia Round Barn Website)”
I have been interrupted at least 100 times today while writing this Blog. It is now evening and I am ready to saddle up and head west into the sunset—to Tulsa for dinner! So I am goin’ to hobble my lip, cowboy up and high tail it to T- Town (You have to be an Okie to decipher that!)
Arcadia Barn in Oklahoma
George Washington Pioneer Farmer by Alan and Donna Jean Fusonie. Published by The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, 1998.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens http://www.mountvernon.org/
The Round Barn http://www.arcadiaroundbarn.org/ (Permission granted for photographs and quotes).
