Lunn-Musser Octagon Barn, Garrattsville New York
The Lunn-Musser octagon barn is an early example in New York State of the octagon prototype popularized by Elliot Stewart and introduced to Otsego Co. only three years earlier by the Baker Octagon barn in the nearby town of Richfield. The barn, built in 1885, shares many of the structural characteristics associated with the Baker barn including a center square of posts and diagonally braced wall panels.
Despite the loss of its original cupola during a windstorm in 1976, and the addition of a single story wing and two small milkhouses, the barn retains virtually all of its identifying characteristics including its mortared stone foundation walls, its original structural framework and its original exterior siding. The barn continues in its original use as a dairy barn and is in fair condition.
The Lunn-Musser barn is located at the south side of County Route 16 approximately 1.2 miles south of the hamlet of Garrattsville. The area is characterized by rolling hills, open meadows and small-scale dairy farms. The barn with its additions is the principal farm building on the 202-acre Musser property and is situated directly across the road from an 1830s two-story frame farmhouse.
The barn is octagonal with a diameter of 60 feet. It is two stories high and has a hipped roof of eight panels, originally topped by an octagonal cupola. The lower walls are of stone, the upper story walls are overlapping vertical siding over braced frames. The frames have 8" x 8" posts at the corners and midpoints of each side, and diagonal wind bracing in each panel; this bracing is probably not original. The wall frames are braced across the corners with squinch blocks bolted to the top plates, making a stiff continuous ring below the roof. The roof is framed with 3" x 10" hip rafters with 3" x 8" rafters between and has wood shingles.
Originally the main entrance to the ground story was to the west. The main entrance to the upper story is a drive-in on the northeast side facing the road. Windows to the ground floor are small and located in all sides except the north and northeast, where the barn is below grade and the southeast where the wall has been removed to connect the barn to the 1953 addition. The upper story has one window on the southwest side for light.
The original arrangement of the ground floor has been obscured by the changes made at the time of the addition. Probably it was much like the Baker barn at Richfield Springs. The interior framing on the ground story has also been altered to accommodate the new plan, but much of the material was reused and the system was probably also similar to the Baker barn, 8" x 8" posts carry beams which support 8" diameter log joists. A center square of four posts carries through the upper portion of the hay mow where it supports an octagonal ring which picks up the eight principal rafters. Other posts in the loft carry a small loft above the drive through. The upper story has a double thickness board floor while the ground floor is concrete.
Two marble date stones, inscribed "Wm Lunn 1885" record the original owner and date of construction. One remains in place within the stone foundation walls. The other was removed at the time of the 1953/54 alterations and placed on display near the milkhouse addition.
The barn includes a l-story concrete block calf wing at the east side, built in 1961, and two small concrete block milkhouses built in 1946 and 1970.
View from east (1984)
View from south (1984)
