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 Octagonal Barn - Monroe, Iowa Posted by:  iconions
N 41° 30.766 W 093° 06.159
15T E 491434 N 4595687
This Octagonal barn is located at the end of South Commerce Street in Monroe, Iowa.
Waymark Code: WM12HFT
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2020
Views: 1
My Commentary:
I was actually driving by the town when I spotted this old barn. I originally thought it was a round barn driving by, but it turned out to be octagonal when I got closer. It is also stone which is also highly unusual for this part of the country. I have found limited information on the barn. It is now part of the First Baptist Church parsonage, however, the house that it is attached is a highly modified Queen Anne - probably the original farmhouse. My guess is that the farm was no longer viable when HWY 163 cut through on the south side and HWY 14 cut through on the west.
South side of Monroe, Fairview Township. Commerce Street South 0.3 miles from junction with Sherman Street to the barn on the East side of the road at 812. Octagon barn, concrete block, louvered cupola, 2-pitch sectional roof, large dormer over garage door on the W. side, small dormer on the South side, good condition.
- Iowa Round Barns List
Octagon Barns, 1867-1890.
Octagon barns represented the most innovative thought of the 1870s-l880s in the practice of modern farming. The octagon barn's advantages over conventional barns included: a large volume of barn space built with fewer materials; superior wind resistance; a self-supporting roof without posts or purlins to obstruct the use of a hay fork; and greater convenience, through shorter lines of travel, in a day when farmers accomplished nearly all of their work by hand. Peak construction of octagon barns in Iowa occured in the 1880s.
Expected ideal characteristics of Iowa's Octagon Barns, 1867-1890 include:
* eight equal length exterior walls
* construction date between 1867 and 1890
* rectangular interior arrangement with runway through center of barn
* heavy timber structural framing
* multipurpose or general use as contrasted, to specialized use
* no interior silo (pre-silo era)
* derivative of one of two design influences: Elliott W. Stewart or Lorenzo S. Coffin
Elliott W. Stewart influenced octagon barns are specifically characterized by conical roofs constructed of eight wedge shaped pieces. These roofs are selfsupporting and allow for clear, unobstructed loft space. The entire weight of the roof rests on the exterior walls of the barn. The Stewart prototype was topped by an eight sided cupola with a conical roof similar to the barn roof.
- National Register Application: Iowa Round Barns - The Sixty Year Experiment
Visit Instructions:
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