Rebecca Rankin Round Barn - Elliot Barn, Poling Indiana
The Rankin Round Barn is an example of the work of prominent round barn architect Benton Steele. The barn is an important and direct link to the agricultural development that occurred in the state from 1850 to 1936 (and beyond) and has changed little since its construction in 1908. By 1936, round and polygonal barns were considered obsolete with the last round structure being built in the state to replace a 1915 round barn that had burned (Grant County, Richland Township, extant).
The original owner of the barn was Rebecca Rankin who contacted Benton Steele for the design. The barn was actually constructed by local craftsman Cameron Watt who lived near Fiat, Indiana. The efficiently arranged structure was meant to hold farm animals on the lower level on either side of the central drive, made more pleasant with an abundance of single and paired window units. The upper level was arranged for the storage of hay and straw and is interrupted only by the large wooden derrick that provides the support for the massive two-pitch gambrel roof and round cupola. This derrick, seen in other barns such as the Littleton Barn (Hancock County, Vernon Township) may have appeared as over-engineering but it has proven to be invaluable to the longevity of this structure.
The ownership of the barn and farm have never left Ms. Rankin's family with the property being handed down to her descendants since her death. The current owners of the property are Tom and Helen Elliot, with Mr. Elliot being the grandson of Ms. Rankin. The Elliots are quite proud of their structure as evidenced by the recent addition of asphalt shingles, a process that protects the valuable roof system.
The Rebecca Rankin (Elliot) barn is one of the 151 true circular barns that were built of the total 219 round and polygonal structures. Further, it numbers among the best preserved of the 77 remaining true circular structures with the historic fabric in place and in very good condition. It also enjoys the distinction of having been designed by architect Benton Steele, Indiana's foremost round barn man and one of the best self-promoters that the state has ever witnessed.
Barn Description
The Rebecca Rankin (Elliot) Round Barn, constructed in 1908 in Jay County near Poling, Indiana, remains today as one of Indiana's well maintained round barns. Located in a rural setting, the barn is surrounded by cultivated fields and is reached by a gravel drive that takes the visitor past the farmhouse, garage and pole barn. Designed by Benton Steele, it was built by Cameron Watt, a local carpenter.
The true-circular, 50-foot diameter, two-story barn is sheltered by a two-pitch gambrel roof that is in turn capped by a round cupola with a conical roof. The cupola contains four, rectangular, single-paned windows and the balloon framing of the barn rests on the poured concrete foundation. There is a glazed tile silo located to the northwest of the barn and although the top is missing, the silo is in relatively good shape. The silo appears to have been built soon after the barn.
The roof surfaces of the barn and cupola are covered in dutch lap asphalt shingles that were added in 1990. There is a slight overhang to the roof and the underneath side of the soffit reveals the exposed rafters and roof decking. The walls of the barn and cupola are covered in the original vertical wood siding that is in very good condition.
The south or main facade is composed of the large sliding doors mounted on an overhead track and curved to coordinate with the barn's shape. Proceeding around the structure's lower level in a counter-clockwise manner, there are two evenly spaced four light windows between the main door and a smaller human-sized door on the east. Next are two more evenly spaced windows between the east door and the northern double doors with the north doors now sealed. Completing the other half of the circle is a double window unit, a single window, two more double window units, a human-sized door on the west, two single windows, a double window unit and finally, two more single windows before reaching the main doors on the south. The upper level openings consist of seven evenly spaced louvered vents that provide ventilation.
The interior of the barn is very well designed with a walled central area that extends from the north to the south doors. Further, on the north end of the central space, a wall runs from east to west, blocking the central space and creating a pen on the north end of the barn. This pen is accessed by a sliding gate. Just inside the main south doors, there is a door on the west, while the east door is located closer to the barn's center. The central area of the barn contains two more doors on the west and an open area to the east, with four support posts continuing the line of the main wall. On either side of the central area and creating a larger circle some twenty-feet in diameter, are a series of eight posts on the west (on the other side of the wall) and posts and board fencing on the east. Running along the top of these posts is a large laminated and curved beam that offers intermediate support to the floor joists of the upper level. The east side of the lower level is divided into two large pens for livestock while the west is left open for the open handling and housing of farm animals.
The upper level is left open for the storage of hay and straw and is completely floored except for the middle area from the south doors to about five feet of the barn's midpoint. This open area to the lower level allows for the easy access and moving of hay and straw. In the middle of the upper level is a derrick structure that fans out to support the laminated beam of the upper roof pitch. The second roof pitch is braced by the outside walls, which, like the roof and flooring systems, are composed of stick lumber. The flooring of the upper level is comprised of wood planks laid down in almost triangular sections to compensate for the circular form, naturally with the apex at the barn's center.