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Prairie Fire looks at the history of barns in Illinois, including the University of Illinois round barns. Host Alison Davis said the three round barns were built between 1908 and 1912 for the university’s experimental dairy farm. “One is still a working dairy barn, while the other two are used for storage,” she said. Round barns were considered stronger than square or rectangular barns, cheaper to construct, and labor-saving in a variety of ways. The U of I’s round barns were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, she said.
“It’s been estimated that fewer than 60 round barns exist in America today,” said Davis. “They were popular until the ’20s when the mechanization of farm equipment led to their decline.”
Segment duration: 06:26
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Agriculture/Agribusiness • Architecture • Historical Landmarks • Illinois Culture/History • University of Illinois • University of Illinois • Urbana
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