Barn Building

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There are several different types of barns, each with a purpose and unique style, such as Dutch barns, bank barns, crib barns and round barns.  Below are examples of the different barn types and how the barns may be used.

Dutch barns were born by the Dutch settler of the Hudson Mohawk and Schoharie valleys in New York and New Jersey.  The feature of the Dutch barn that most people would recognize is the broad gable roof, which extends very low to the ground.  Back then the center doors were used for the wagons and live stock.  The barn gave the appearance that they were bigger than they actually are. 

The interior beams were specific to the Dutch because of their craftsmanship of the columns having ‘tongues’ in the crossbeams, which was a distinctive feature of the Dutch barn.  There are very few of these structures today.

The bank barn is built into the side of a hill which allows for two levels to the barn.  The lower level is used to house animals and the upper level is used for storage.  This gave the wagons easy access to deliver the hay to the barn and the animals a place to gather.  Ventilation in these barns is very important because curing hay can generate enough heat to start a fire, so it is imperative to have adequate ventilation.

Crib Barns is a rustic barn that specific to America, born in the South and Southwest, particularly in the Appalachian and Ozark Mountain states.  The style is a simple design, having between one and six cribs that served as storage for fodder or holding pens for cattle or pigs.  Some have haylofts and some do not.  The crib barns also may not have been covered with wood siding.  The shingle roofs are usually replaced with tin or asphalt, which is what, gives the crib barn the rustic appearance.

One of the other features is that there is usually an aisle running through the front or middle of the crib barn.  When the aisle or driveway is through the middle, this usually signifies a double crib barn, where there is usually a hayloft.

Another barn is the round barn.  The Shaker community built a round barn in 1826, but the design did not gain popularity until the 1880s.  During this time, the round barn was used mostly by agricultural colleges and experiment stations that were teaching progressive farming methods.  It wasn’t until the 1920s when the round barn flourished across America, particularly in the Midwest.

The round barn became popular because it did not require as much material to build, plus the volume-to-surface ratio was more than a traditional rectangular or square barn.  Plus they were more stable, requiring less internal supporting elements, which allowed for more storage.

The cattle occupied the lower level and the upper level was used for hay storage.  In the last stage of the round barn development, a center silo was installed, which became a regular feature on a farm.  However, regardless of the efficiency of space, the round barn never took off as well as once thought.  There were a lot that were built, but not as much as originally thought would occur.

The prairie barn is the most widely recognized barn, with its peaked roof and hayloft opening.  The prairie barn is also known as the Western barn.  These barns are used for large herds of cattle which need a large amount of hay and feed, which is what the barn is used for—storage.  They are also much larger than other barns with sweeping roofs that come also to the ground, which creates even more storage space.  Their look is similar to the Dutch barn.

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