The negative sleeve is marked Round Barn 1966. There are some frames filed with the “Round Barn” shots that look like they might have been taken up around Old Appleton, but that doesn’t mean that these came from there.
Look at the craftsmanship in the curved roof trusses. It looks like the rounded part came off the bigger barn in the background. I don’t know if the building collapsed and was being stripped or if the whole thing was being torn down.
This looks like a new barn
Old barn wood used to be in high demand not so long ago, so I assumed this one was being torn down at first glance. On second glance, though, it’s in too good of shape to be razed. I’m almost positive that it’s a new barn going up.
Good-sized silos
Wherever this farm was, it had some pretty substantial silos. Again, look at the the way those curved pieces are fitted together out of 1-bys (from back in the days when a 1-by really was one inch thick). The white pieces in the foreground look like the side walls were pushed out when the roof came down.
Interior shot
I don’t know if this is the interior of the barn in the background of the first shot or if was another building. These are good-sized barns. I’m sure somebody will be able to identify them.
Ken. I didn’t know you worked in Gastonia , I enjoy reading your stories about your home,(even though I don’t know anything about your home state )
Miz Betty, Mam,
Yep, I served 18 months at The Gastonia Gazette. It was sandwiched between The Athens (OH) Messenger and The Post.
I ran more spot news in those 18 months than in all of my other newspapers combined. Those NC folks have more ways to hurt each other than you can count.
In the summer, they shoot their neighbors; when the weather turns cold, they take it out an their families.
Back in the early 60’s, when my husband and I were in college, we used to take Sunday drives in the country. He showed me an amazing round barn, but I have no idea where it was – and, in later years, he couldn’t remember where it was, either. I’ve heard that it’s gone now.
We also loved to drive by the Fuerth (???) Farm, where peacocks perched on the white fences and called out in their eerie voices. We had to stop for them, when they ambled out in the road.
Those drives around Cape influenced our later decision to live in the country. The places seemed idyllic!
I also am not sure of the location. I do remember a barn on Independence St. just west of the National Guard Armory. About that era somebody tried to open it as nightclub or dance hall venue. As I recall it had a similar roof. Could be apartments or some health care facility in that location now. Anybody have more barn trivia?
Don, I know the building you’re talking about. It’s not the one in the photos. I’ll have an update on tomorrow’s page.
THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL HUGH ROUND BARN ON SOUTH SPRIGG STREET, JUST BELOW THE CEMENT PLANT. IT WAS TORN DOWN I BELIEVE SOMETIME IN THE LATE 60S OR EARLY 70S. THE KIEHNE FAMILY LIVED JUST BEYOND THE BARN. IT WAS TORN DOWN BECAUSE IT WAS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE.
The large white barn that Don Sandlin is referring to is on the old Schonoff Family farm (at 15 Schonoff Lane).
There were two round barns in the Cape County area; one was identified by Judi Coleman as being on south Sprigg Street; this was on what was known as the Anna Kay Farm. The other was on the north side of Mo-74 just west of Pecan Grove Road (Co Rd 214)on what was known as the Little Valley Farm. Both were originally owned by Mary Giboney Houck (wife of Louis Houck.
Keith and Judy,
You all are right. I was afraid I was going to throw everybody a curve when I called the structure in the photos the “Round Barn.”
For whatever the reason, that’s how the negs were slugged, even though the one down below Marquette School was the one commonly called the round barn.
The barn has been identified. See the next post.
Ken, I appreciate your comment on my profile on Facebook. You have archived so much of local history and elsewhere I’m sure. I, too, should have taken more pictures, but then it was 120 film, click, roll, send off to Fo Jo, then ?? well you know. I was a decade or so ahead of you. Fronie and now, Fred Lynch, have and still do continue to record. I think I know and can identify the barn you have posted, but I will wait for your next posting. I’ll give a hint…it was on north Sprigg???
If you go to the next post in this series, you can see that you were right. The barn was on North Sprigg.
It would be nice to think there was a place for all our stuff, but I’m not sure where it is. The Missourian, Fred and Sharon have done a good job with preserving Frony forward (which wouldn’t have been possible without Gary Rust’s support), but I’m not sure where guys like you and me fall in.
I stopped by Kent Library last fall to see if the University might be interested when I go toes-up, but I didn’t get so much as the courtesy of a phone call after dropping off a business card.
Ken: You might be interested in my latest project, LandmarkHunter.com. The goal is document just about every kind of landmark, past or present.
James, thanks for the link to LandmarkHunter.com.
If it’s anywhere as fascinating as your other site, BridgeHunter.com, I can see myself getting lost for hours.
Maybe I can fill in some gaps for you. If you see anything on this site you’d like to use, let me know.