These barns are heavily ventilated because air flow was needed to cure the hanging tobacco leaves. Their role was to provide a place for tobacco farmers to hang and dry their crop after harvest. Seen throughout the South and East, tobacco barns served a unique function when first erected nearly four centuries ago. Made from wood or occasionally brick, round and polygonal barns typically housed cattle on the ground floor and hay in the loft above. In the final stage of round-barn development, a center silo was added, allowing gravity to move feed from the barn’s top level to the floor. The circular layout was viewed as more efficient-a claim that was overstated, demonstrated in the lack of round barns today. Also, they offer greater structural stability because they are built with self-supporting roofs, which also opens vast storage space. Round barns were encouraged for many reasons: circles have greater volume-to-surface ratios than other barn forms (square or rectangular), therefore they use less materials and save on cost. Although constructed in the early 19th century, these barns became popular during the 1880s when experiment stations and agricultural colleges taught progressive farming methods based on their great efficiency. Round or polygonal barns, first built by the Shakers in the 1800s, are the rarest of barn types in terms of numbers and are scattered from New England to the Midwest. In other areas of the country, bank barns were built from wood. In non-glaciated areas of the state, primarily southwestern Wisconsin, the barn walls were made of quarried rock. In certain areas of Wisconsin, where glaciers once moved during the Ice Age, bank barns were constructed with fieldstones. To take advantage of this protection, the second story is extended over the first the overhang sheltered animals from harsh weather. Bank barns were primarily constructed with their axis parallel to the hill on the south side this allowed livestock to have a sunny spot to gather in the winter. The earliest bank barns featured gabled roofs, while later bank barns were built with gambrel roofs. When built in an area where a hill was not present, a “bank” was created by building an earthen ramp. So named because the buildings were situated against the side of a hill, bank barns, most of which were built in the 1800s, permitted farmers direct access to the storage area with wagons loaded with wheat or hay. Both areas can be entered from the ground. Traditionally, the lower level of the barn housed livestock and draft animals, while the upper level provided storage and a threshing floor. The Midwest is home to the bank barn, a rectangular building with two levels. Certain barn styles have become synonymous with particular parts of the country in many cases they are considered historic reminders of the area’s agricultural past. These barns were functional and their distinct looks provided a sense of identity to the regional farmlands on which they stood. Such peaks only capture heat in the hotter, humid South, so while they’ll still have a slope to shed rain and snow, more southerly barns add variations for ventilation such as the airy ‘monitor’ barns that ensure a breeze from floor to ceiling through the monitor’s vents.”Īmerican farmers built their barns with not only practicality in mind, but also aesthetics. “A steeply peaked roof, for example, is relevant to regions with considerable snowfall since the weight of snow can bring a barn down. Ambrosiano, co-author of Complete Plans for Building Horse Barns Big & Small (Breakthrough Publishing, 2006). “The design of a barn, especially if it is very old, is bound with the weather requirements of the area and the particular cultural traditions of the farmers in the region,” says Nancy W. A great number of barn styles can be seen throughout the United States, each suited to the environment where it resides. Throughout American history, farmers have built barns to shelter their livestock and store their harvest. The glory of these old barns was breathtaking, leaving me to realize the power of this very American piece of architecture. Every few minutes, a magnificent barn would come into view, rising above the landscape and punctuating the sky with its gabled roof and proud silo. It wasn’t long before great, green expanses lay on either side of the highway. As I passed through towns along the roadway, I noticed the scenery was becoming more rural. I was driving through eastern Pennsylvania on a business trip, enjoying the open highway before me. It was a beautiful summer day, drier than most July in the East.
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