Charles Fehr Round Barn, Rock City Illinois
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- Illinois
- Barn
- Round Barn
This barn was built in 1912 for Walter Knott by Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas brothers.
This barn has a 56-foot diameter and rests on a poured concrete foundation. The loft is supported by a centrally located concrete shaft on top of which joists radiate in a spoke-like fashion. The construction date and builders' names are inscribed on the shaft's east side. The original "drop siding" is covered by sheet metal. Access to the loft is over an earthen ramp on the west side while animal access is on the southeast quadrant. An "overshoot" shields the animal and secondary entrance for the farmer on ground level. Inside, the loft walls have wind bracing between the studs. The single-hip roof is also braced. Each brace is a 2-inch by 6-inch member nailed on one side of each rafter about four feet above the roof hip and to the opposite side of the same rafter about four feet below the roof hip. The wooden roof is covered with asphalt shingles.
The original design is unaltered except for the silo lost from the southeast quadrant of the barn and the cupola.
Looking southeast (1983)
Looking northwest (1983)
Center post (ground level) with radiating joists (1983)
Loft joist below center driveway interrupted by radiating joists (1983)
Details of brace at roof hip (1983)
