Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota

Date added: June 12, 2023 Categories: South Dakota Barn Round Barn
Barn looking north (1995)

The Freier Round Barn is the only known example of a wood frame pre-cut catalog barn erected in South Dakota that still retains its historic integrity. The barn is an example of the final stage of round/polygonal barn building, affordable pre-cut catalog barns that were the final and outstanding achievement of research and promotion within the agricultural community from the late 19th and into the early 20th century. Manufacturers promoted these barns as easy and affordable to build with none of the problems that plagued earlier round barns. These barns had self-supporting roofs with clear span, easily filled hay lofts; sufficient light and ventilation; interior silos and convenient and efficient interior arrangements.

Built by M.E. Studervant in 1918 for $3,000, the Freier Barn was ordered from the mail order building firm Gordon-Van Tine Company of Davenport, Iowa, or a competitor with very similar round barn designs. The Barrel Barn Plan 214 from the 1917 Gordon-Van Tine catalog, accompanying descriptions and built examples appearing in Lowell Soike's book Without Right Angles-The Round Barns of Iowa clearly support this conclusion. As originally built, the Freier Barn had the identical exterior appearance of three Gordon-Van Tine designs built in Iowa in 1919. The 60' diameter, two-story round-form, gambrel roof, board and batten siding, three-foot concrete foundation, original central silo, interior stall arrangement, and the twenty windows placed in groups of five between four doors one of which is a large sliding door all match the information on Gordon-Van Tine barns in Soike's book.

Mr. Studervant used the barn for dairy cows and horses. He apparently was satisfied enough with the round form to rebuild the roof rather than demolish the building after a tornado severely damaged the barn in 1941. Alex Freier purchased the barn in 1948 and used it for sheep.

Barn Description

Located on the north side of old highway 16/83 in open Jones County plains land, the Freier Round Barn is a true round wood frame building measuring 60 feet in diameter. The two-story barn, built in 1918 for milk cows and horses, has a concrete foundation, vertical steel siding and a conical roof covered with wooden shingles.

The barn has 18 four-pane fixed sash windows evenly spaced between four doors. Ten windows appear on the southern half and eight on the northern half of the barn. A large vertical board door with two sliding leaves is located on the southern side. Three vertical board single doors with separate upper and lower leaves are on the west, north and east sides of the building.

Four large triangular horse pens with mangers are located in the southern side of the barn, two on either side of the large sliding door. Nine cow stalls with stanchions appear in the northern side of the barn. Also visible inside the barn is the original vertical board siding and the frames of two original windows that are now covered over. A central 12' square, horizontal board grain bin that rises up from the poured concrete floor into the loft. The corner posts of the grain bin extend up to support the roof plate. The loft floor is open above the large sliding door to allow for easy stocking of the loft. A board ladder on the southwest corner of the grain bin provides access to the loft. The loft floor is made of narrow wooden boards.

The barn has had several changes in its history. The original two-pitch round gambrel roof was completely blown off by a tornado in 1941 and deposited 150 feet to the east. The tornado also destroyed the original round central horizontal board silo. The existing roof and square central grain bin were built in 1941 to repair the cyclone damage. Nine of the original 18 cow stanchions and two of the original horse stalls were later removed, probably in 1948 when the Freiers purchased the property and starting using it for their sheep operation. The original south vertical board sliding door was replaced in the 1960s. The Freiers sided the barn with steel in the late 1980s. Two windows on either side of the north door were covered over during the residing. The barn originally had 5 windows between each of the doors. The new siding matches the vertical placement, unit width, board and batten pattern and red color of the original siding. Deteriorated wood roof shingles were replaced in kind in 1990.

Physical features of the barn that identify it as an example of the final period polygonal/round barn property type are its true round plan and the details that help identify it as a pre-cut catalog barn. These details are the 60-foot diameter; the concrete foundation extending approximately 3 feet above ground; the number, type and location of the doors and windows; the interior division of space and the original vertical siding visible inside the barn. The central Square grain bin and supported conical roof built in 1941 to replace the original self-supporting 2-pitch gambrel are unique within the property type.

Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota Barn looking north (1995)
Barn looking north (1995)

Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota Silo looking north (1995)
Silo looking north (1995)

Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota Barn interior looking east (1995)
Barn interior looking east (1995)

Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota Barn interior looking north (1995)
Barn interior looking north (1995)

Freier Round Barn, Draper South Dakota Barn interior looking southeast (1995)
Barn interior looking southeast (1995)