Do old barns go to heaven?

The Round Barn was built around 1909 or 1910. The idea came about when the silo, which had been there for many years, started to lean and was to the point that it would have to be fixed or torn down. It was going to be a huge task and expensive either way. Fixing it seemed the better idea, but Dad was in a quandary as to how to go about it. Then the thought came that perhaps he could build a barn around the silo.

One of the neighbors who lived close to Star of the West schoolhouse was a carpenter as well as a farmer. He seemed just the man to talk to. It was agreed that they would draw up the plan. I do not know how long they were in getting it finished, but it turned out to be "the talk of the town”!

The barn was located a short distance south of the house. Starting along the west side, then right and around to the east, then on around toward the north and back to the west I will tell as plain as possible the location of various compartments or whatever barns have—stalls, mangers, and whatnot.

A single sliding door on the west was where horses could go through to the three stalls: Two horses to a stall plus grain boxes and the mangers. Harnesses, bridles, saddles, and such hung along the outside walls; hooks for curry combs and whatever else.

Going on around toward the south was an opening large enough for a team and wagon as the opening to the silo faced the south. Along the south wall were cow stanchions and feed bunks, then a double sliding door large enough for a team and wagon to pass thru.

As we keep going 'round, next was a crib and next to it was the oats (or grain) bin; next was a holding pen and there was a sliding door into it. It was north and a little west.

Starting back to the crib and ending at the last horse manger which was on the southwest was an entry way and that is where you walked to feed the animals in the holding pen and/ or the horses their grain and hay. The haymow went about three fourths of the way around the barn, and hay was carried by a hayfork hooked to a rope and pully. The hay was pulled to the haymow by one horse (usually some of the younger boys had that job). When the hayfork was ready to carry the hay up to the haymow, the person manning it would yell “Ready!”, and then, as soon as it got to the spot where it was to drop, that person yelled “Whoa!” and pulled the rope.

When the barn was finished and the time came to paint it my brother, Howard, told this story: The first preacher he remembered had a spiffy horse and buggy and also two teenage sons who put the first coat of red paint on. Howard heard the man tell dad he was going to tell the preacher’s boys to spill lots of paint, so he kept a close watch to see if they spilled any.

I remember that I liked the smell of silage when it was ready to throw down to the cows. Also, after the silo was empty, we kids climbed down into it and played games, listening to our echoes and looking up through the cupola. There were lots of pigeons cooing in there. He barn had a horse weathervane. I have lots of memories of the old Round Barn, all of them good.

Someone once asked: "Do old barns go to heaven?”

I wonder! Well, not really, but like old soldiers...they fade away!

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