Unlike many round barns that are polygonal in shape with distinct sides, this barn is truly round with the horizontal sides bent into shape. It is 80 feet high and 85 feet in diameter. A 15-foot diameter central silo rises to the top of the barn. There are 15 calf pens and 50 stanchions in the lower level.
Dr. Laurence Ryan built the barn in 1910 for his Black Angus show cattle. It contained some of the labor saving equipment of the period.
On December 31, 1974, Ryan’s barn was the first round barn in Illinois to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This barn is open to the public during the afternoon of the first, third, and fifth Sunday of each month from May to October. It is located in Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park between Kewannee and Annawan off Route 78. Within the barn are many pieces of farm equipment used in the past.
Visit Instructions:
When visiting a waymark, please take pictures that clearly show the barn and any implements, animals or other farm-related items that might be visible. This category can be as much about creative photography as the actual building itself.
Tell us about your visit. Is this the first time you saw this barn? Did you make a special trip to 'visit' this waymark? Are you a 'country mouse' or 'city mouse'?