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Sauk Rapids Herald Saturday, January 4, 2020
Roscoe’s roundabout research adventure PHOTOS BY SARAH COLBURN
John Roscoe is pictured Dec. 10 by a round barn off Pinecone Road in Sartell in Stearns County. Roscoe has researched every barn of its kind in the state, and written “Minnesota’s Round Barns,” containing information on the iconic landmarks.
Book on round barns defines remaining icons BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER
SARTELL – John and Fran Roscoe have traversed the state of Minnesota, end to end, in search of the state’s 72 documented round barns. Traveling in their Mitsubishi Outlander, the Roscoes followed maps, plugged GPS coordinates into their navigator and asked for directions in hometown bars and restaurants in small towns throughout Minnesota. “These barns really represent
a period in agricultural history when farming was becoming a little more progressive,” John Roscoe said. “A lot of what we know about our agricultural history is going away; either traditional farms are going down, (or) turning into more corporate farming. And the families that built these farms years ago, we’re starting to forget about that. They were the backbone of America for many, many years and these barns were just part of that history.” The Roscoes found all 72
locations and documented 48 barns still in existence. John Roscoe shares them in his newest book: “Minnesota’s Round Barns.” The barns saw popularity from the 1890s to the 1930s and were a way to efficiently milk a number of cows at once, Roscoe said. The round milking style became so popular that Sears, Roebuck and Company came out with plans for barns around 1910. People could purchase a Sears barn kit back then for $1,627 that included not only the plans but the precut lumber. The style, while visually unique, only lasted a few decades before more modern farming methods kicked them out of production, with farmers opting
round barn. Early on, the barns had few windows and were dark and hard to light. As time went on, builders inserted windows around the barn and throughout the different levels to allow in natural light. Though Roscoe is now officially a round barn expert, he does not have a history with farming or agriculture. He was an English teacher in Albany Area Schools for 32 years before he retired 20 years ago. A round barn sitting just off Pinecone Road near his home in Sartell piqued his interest in the structures. There was talk of how the barn sitting amongst houses, apartments and stores
for rectangular buildings that could house larger machinery and bigger herds. Round barns, Roscoe said, had self-supporting roofs and much of their architecture came out of agricultural colleges including the University of Illinois. Farmers received the basic plans for the foundation, the building of the walls, the hay mow floor, building the roof and adding the cupola. They could choose some of the exterior finishes like fieldstone applications on the lower level wall, which was popular until farmers began opting for poured concrete or cement block. Windows, Roscoe said, were one of the biggest decision factors for those building a
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