Strauther Pleak Round Barn, Greensburg Indiana

Date added: April 23, 2023 Categories: Indiana Barn Round Barn

The owner of the barn was Strauther Pleak who had the unusual round barn constructed and later attached a large, rectangular barn with a gambrel roof. Apparently, the eight-sided silo at the barn's center was constructed first and then the barn was raised around it with the roof being braced by the silo, thus explaining the excellent condition of the shelter. This silo is unusual in that it is octagonal and also because it was constructed of 2"x6" lumber stacked flat and then coated with tar. The silo design proved ineffective and in 1917, was lined with brick and concrete as evidenced by an inscription on the silo's interior walls (January 28, 1917). The lower level housed animals with feeding and watering troughs around the perimeter and in the adjacent barn. The upper levels of both barns contained hay and straw.

The Pleak family maintained ownership of the farm until 1914 when it was sold to I.B. Morgan. The farm was then passed to I.B. Morgan's son, Ati, in 1937.

The attached rectangular barn to the north lends a unique quality with the exception of the Snider/McFeeley barn in Huntington County (Lancaster Township) and the more common barns that were designed with attached circular sheds, few other round or polygonal barn has such a merger of two distinct shapes. The only other examples of effective and aesthetic attachment of round and rectangular shapes include two Marshall County examples in Greene and German Townships. Also unique is the massing of the structure, with an overall appearance of a three-tiered wedding cake. The three different roof sections of the lower-level, silo and spire add a distinctive quality and the decorative shingles of the upper spire is a creative touch. No other Indiana example has this distinct three-tiered massing although other examples do have the spire arrangement, namely the E. D. Sphenger barn (Madison County, Union Township) and the George Rudicel barn (Shelby County, Noble Township).

The Strauther Pleak barn is an unusual and unique example of a round barn, being the only one of its kind with this massing and one of the few with such a harmonious marriage to a barn of a different shape. In Indiana, 219 round and polygonal structures were constructed with 151 being true circles (only 77 true circles remain). Among true circular barns in the state, the Pleak round barn is one of the most unique and unusual.

Barn Description

The Strauther Pleak Barn of Decatur County, Indiana, is one of the most interesting and unique structures in the state. Located in rural Decatur County near Greensburg, Indiana, the 1914 round barn with attached rectangular barn is surrounded by fields and open vistas of the countryside. The site is reached by a long gravel drive that passes the circa 1940 Indiana limestone ranch house, smoke house, spring house and garage, and then curves to the west near the round barn. This main drive then goes off to the south, returning to Moscow Road and creating a large enclosed pen that contains a chicken coop and smaller barn.

The round, two-story barn has very unusual massing as exhibited by a conical roof, silo and cupola, lending the appearance of a three-tiered wedding cake. The main roofing system is a conical design that is penetrated by the large silo with square, single-paned windows. The silo is in turn capped by a round cupola with an even steeper pitched conical roof. The attached rectangular barn (built 1915) is covered in a gambrel roof. The balloon frame walls of both barns rest on poured concrete foundations.

The roof surfaces of the round barn have been covered with asphalt replacement shingles. The eaves yield a shallow overhang and reveal the exposed rafters of the roof. Wall surfaces are original and are composed of decorative shingles on the cupola and horizontal wood siding on the silo and barn walls. The rectangular barn is likewise sheathed in horizontal wood siding.

The principal or east facade is relatively simple. Centered on the circle's east/west axis, the large doors of vertical wood pieces swing out to offer access to the interior. Centered above these doors is an upper-level hay door of the same width. Proceeding around the structure in a clockwise manner, there are eight evenly spaced square, single-paned windows on the lower level, followed by a large sliding door on the northwest, then the attachment to the rectangular barn and two more windows before returning to the main door. On the upper level, there are the upper hay doors mentioned previously, followed by a bay without a window, then a window positioned slightly lower than the other upper-level units. Following this window is another upper-level hay door of smaller width and then five windows centered above the lower-level examples, along with another upper-level window to the north of the east hay door. Finally, the silo has four square, single-paned windows, located on the four compass points while the cupola is devoid of openings.

The rectangular barn is very simple in design with equally spaced square windows along the east, west and north walls. There is a small sliding door on the south located near the connector to the round barn and a large door on the north that opens into the main drive.

The interior of the barn is likewise very interesting with the exposed balloon framing and the circular laminated beam overhead at the barn's perimeter. When entering the round barn through the main east door, there is an opening overhead to allow access to the upper-level hay door. This open space extends out approximately four feet or the width of the feed alley that runs around the perimeter of the lower level. There is a gate that separates the central area from the main entrance, with the gate being hung on the corner posts of the feed alley. Moving around the lower level in a clockwise manner, the feed alley extends all the way around to the northwest corner where it breaks for the sliding door to the outside. On the north end of the barn, there are three large posts that open to the connector to the rectangular barn and form two openings with gates. Next is a built in concrete water trough used to water the animals and finally, a smaller feed alley returns to the main doors. In the center of the space is the octagonal silo that becomes circular above the roof line. Originally constructed of 2"x6" lumber stacked flat and coated on the inside with tar, this treatment was not sufficient. Consequently, the silo was made circular by the addition of a brick and concrete plaster lining on January 28, 1917, a date inscribed on the silo's interior. Finally, the interior of the attached rectangular barn is composed of a series of pens on either side of the drive that connects the north door with the round structure. There is also a small walkway that connects the main drive with the sliding door on the south.

To the north of the main door, inside the feed alley, is a ladder that ascends to the upper level. On the upper level or hay mow area, it becomes apparent how the silo, which was constructed first, helps to support the roof. The balloon framing members of the roof system are tied into the silo for support and have contributed to the longevity of the roof. These members radiate inwardly from the exterior walls to the barn's central silo and are infilled with lath that supported the original wood shingles. The area on the upper level is open with eight windows and two hay doors, the larger being located on the east with an opening in the floor to allow greater access. As on the lower level, there are three posts that form two large openings to the rectangular barn on the north. The rectangular barn is left open for hay and straw storage.