A Scott County barn is among 11 round barns on this year’s, Sept. 14-15 Iowa barn tour, which includes many barn styles in Scott, Cedar and Muscatine counties.
The Iowa Barn Foundation annual all-state tour features a record 92 barns across the state that will be available for visiting inside and out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., both days. It’s the largest barn tour in the nation, according to the foundation.
The tour includes three Muscatine, three Scott County and two Cedar County barns.
The fall tour highlights barns that have received a restoration grant from the foundation and those that have received an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration funded by the owner. Many of the owners will be on hand to share their memories and regard for the structures and answer your questions.
The Foundation is especially excited to have a record eleven round barns included in the tour this year. Of the approximately 200,000 barns built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, only 250 were round - including some octagonal and multi-sided.
There are a record eleven round barns on the fall tour this year, six of which are on the fall tour for the very first time this year. These barns feature some of the most amazing design and architecture you will find in any building in the state of Iowa.
The self-guided fall tour is free and open to the public, made possible by member donors. An online tour guide can be found on at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours.
Member donors receive the foundation’s spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to our spring and fall barn tours. Learn more about membership at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership. Questions can be emailed to iowabarnfoundation@gmail.com.
As a volunteer-led non-profit, the Iowa Barn Foundation’s goal is to maximize member donations to provide restoration grants to save the state’s historic barns. Since being founded in 1997, the foundation has given out $2.3 million dollars in grants to help save nearly 300 barns. Member donors receive our spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to our spring and fall barn tours.
Round barns on the tour for the first time are:
Knoll Crest Farm - Nebergall Round Barn, 9478 145th Street, Davenport (Scott County) - The Nebergall family had the barn built in 1914 by Benton Steele, a prominent round barn builder from Kansas. The 56-foot diameter design has a two-pitched gambrel conical roof with cupola. The lower section is constructed of hollow clay with the upper section constructed of wood. The barn originally housed dairy cows and draft horses (Award of Distinction).
Johnson Round Barn, 1350 260th St, Waverly (Bremer County) - Round dairy barn built in 1913 from clay tile provided by Johnston Brothers Clay Works from Fort Dodge for the original owner, John H. Martin. It features a central clay tile silo. The farmhouse was built in 1916 of the same clay tile material.
Burr Round Barn, 30648 Garber Rd, Guttenburg (Clayton County) - Barn was originally built in the 1920s by Carl H. Ball and later restored by the current owner. The bank barn design allowed wagons of hay and grain to be pulled into the upper level, while the dairy cows could walk out the doors of the lower level (Preservation Award).
Clear View Farm Barn, 25515 Basswood Ave, Volga (Clayton County) - This 1910 14-sided bank barn is a one of a kind Iowa treasure that was restored by the owners in 2023-2024 with the assistance of Iowa Barn Foundation emergency and restoration grants. It is the only known 14-sided barn still standing in Iowa.
Plymouth County Fair Round Barn, 500 4th Avenue NE, Le Mars (Plymouth County) - Built by H.A. Tonsfeldt for his Polled Hereford show cattle. The barn was gifted to the Plymouth County Fair, and the $30,000 needed to move and restore the barn came from community fundraising and a match from the fair board. The barn was moved to is current home at the fairgrounds in September 1981.
Cramlet Round Barn, 11256 Route V64, Douds (Van Buren County) - A rare round barn designed and built by Louden Machinery Company of Fairfield, a manufacturer with a nationwide market in farm equipment.
Other area barns on the tour:
Scott County
Frye Barn, 11150 New Liberty Rd, Maysville – From Exit 292 of I-80, go northwest on IA 130 towards Maysville. The Frye farms were settled in 1881. This dairy barn was built around 1921 by great grandfather William Frye, grandfather Arnold Frye and great uncle Alfred Frye. All siding is original. All stone and brick work was tuck-pointed in 1996. The farm was designated a Century Farm in 1981. The barn interior, including the hay mow, is essentially unchanged with the exception of window replacements in 1995.
Herb’s Crib, 23553 200th Avenue, Davenport - Exit US 61 at Exit 127. Go east on LeClaire Road three miles. Then go south on 200th a half mile. Herbert Schneckloth, prominent Iowa farmer, whose family emigrated from Germany in 1854, built the landmark round crib in 1926. Work on the 50-feet in diameter structure was done with hand tools. The foundation was dug and poured by hand using a shovel and one-third of a bag of home mix at a time. Handmade forms were used to pour the concrete. The ventilation block tile and matching solid tile were brought from Adel by train and horse-drawn wagons.
Knoll Crest Farm - Nebergall Round Barn (New for 2024), 9478 145th Street, Davenport The lower section is constructed of hollow clay with the upper section constructed of wood. The barn originally housed dairy cows and draft horses (Award of Distinction).
Cedar County
Bickett-Rate Historical Preserve Barn, 600-225th Street, Tipton - Just off Cnty X40 (Green Road), Buchanan, south of Cnty F28, west of Tipton. The restoration of the barn was completed as of 08-26-20. This red painted barn near the unincorporated village of Buchanan, was built in 1922 near the historic Hannah Morse Fowler Hall House. From 1891-1995, the site operated as an agriculture co-op.
Schwien Dairy and Cattle Barns, 1667 190th St., Clarence - From Clarence, go south on Cnty X64, then turn left (east) onto 190th Street. Cattle barn was built about 1900 using wooden pegs. It was damaged during a storm in June of 2014. It was repaired with a matching grant from the Iowa Barn Foundation. The current owners bought the farm in 1944 and use the barn for hay storage and cattle. The 36x80 feet dairy barn is an Award of Distinction recipient. It was moved to the farm from a location 5 and a half miles away in November 1979.
Muscatine County
Schroeder Barn, 2738 130th Street, Wilton - Take Exit 271 off I-80 and go south 5 miles on IA 38 to 130th Street. Go east for 1/4 mile. Built in the 1940s, this barn features a balcony haymow on both sides of the ground floor alleyway. Original hay trolley and track are still intact. South side of barn was never painted, so was left that way.
The Old Barn - Muscatine County Conservation (New for 2024), 3300 Cedar St, Muscatine - Located in Discovery Park just east of the Muscatine County Conservation office building, Turn off Highway 22 onto Houser Street, take a right on Harmony Lane, and follow to the end. 1926 Gothic-arched roof dairy barn designed by Louden Manufacturing Company in Fairfield. The barn remains from the Muscatine County Poor Farm/County Home Farm. The barn has been restored to its original state with the addition of a metal roof, staircase, and an elevator for accessibility. The historic landmark is maintained by the Friends of the Old Barn non-profit organization. It is used to host events to educate on the richness of Muscatine County’s agriculture history (Award of Distinction).
Jackson County
Engelke Barn, 25379 297th Avenue, Bellevue – Go 1/2 mile west of Bellevue on IA 62, then turn right on Bellevue-Cascade Road (D61) and turn right onto 297th Ave. This early 1900s barn stands at the end of dead-end road next to the county’s rodeo grounds was lovingly restored in 2018-19.
Martin Barn, 12578 222nd Street, Zwingle - From US 61 south of Zwingle, at Otter’s Creek, turn right (west) onto Bellevue Cascade Road (IA-D61) and go four or five miles and cross a bridge. Turn left (south) on 126th Ave and go a half mile to barn - Hand-pegged barn was built in 1880 and is 100x28 feet. Many inside features are hand-carved. Cement stands for draft horses have depressions for each foot (Award of Distinction).
Steines Barn, 36746 Bellevue-Cascade Road, Bellevue - Go 1/2 mile west of Bellevue on IA 62, then turn right on Bellevue-Cascade Road (D61) and go 1.5 miles to barn.
This simple, primitive barn was built in the early 1900s.
Trenkamp Barn, 893 450th Ave. Preston - Take IA 64 east out of Preston, turn south onto 450th Ave. Pass cemetery. Barn was built by Justus Berg in 1926. Bernard and Correna Trenkamp purchased the farm in 1945 and used it for dairy cows and horses, and when the horses were no longer needed, the dairy was expanded. When the Trenkamps retired in 1974, Steve and Doris purchased the farm. Steve has been restoring the barn using native lumber when possible (Award of Distinction).
Johnson County
Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn, 5750 Osage St SE, West Liberty, 4 miles East Iowa City
There is no barn like this anywhere in the world. It has an 8-sided bell-shaped roof with laminated ribs, held together in part with square nails. Joshua and Esther Secrest were early successful Iowa farmers with 520 acres of land in Johnson County. George Frank Longerbeam was the carpenter, living in nearby Downey. The upper level has storage for 200 tons of loose hay.