DAVENPORT, Iowa — Prepare for a weekend of barnstorming across Iowa, as the 2024 Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Tour returns Sept. 14-15.
A record-high 92 barns will be featured across the state, including the most historic round barns ever. It is the largest barn tour in the country.
This year, there will be 11 of these rare round treasures on the tour. Six of those, including one in Davenport, are being featured on the tour for the first time. Out of the estimated 200,000 barns built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, only 250 were round. Many of those are no longer standing.
News 8 traveled down to Salem, Iowa, ahead of the 2023 tour to show off one of those historic, brick round barns. It would eventually be hit by a tornado, damaging the building's roof and steeple a few months later. You can check out that piece of history here.
All of the barns on the tour will be available for visiting, both inside and out, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. Featured barns are ones that have received a restoration grant from the foundation and an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration funded by the owner.
The tour is free and self-guided. Many of the owners will be on hand to answer questions and share stories of the structures. An online tour guide can be found here.
The Iowa Barn Foundation's goal is to maximize member donations to provide restoration grants to save more of Iowa's historic barns. Since 1997, the foundation has given $2.3 million in grants to help save nearly 300 barns. You can learn more about becoming a member of the Iowa Barn Foundation here.
You can find the full list of all 92 barns here. As for our area, you can find barns at the following:
- Engelke Barn at 25379 297th Ave., Bellevue (Jackson County)
- This early 1900s barn stands at the end of a dead-end road next to the county's rodeo grounds. It was lovingly restored in 2018-19.
- This early 1900s barn stands at the end of a dead-end road next to the county's rodeo grounds. It was lovingly restored in 2018-19.
- Martin Barn at 12578 222nd St., Zwingle (Jackson County)
- This 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 at 36746 Bellevue-Cascade Rd., Bellevue (Jackson County)
- This simple, primitive barn was built in the early 1900s.
- Trenkamp Barn at 893 450th Avenue, Preston (Jackson County)
- This 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).
- Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn at 5750 Osage St., West Liberty (Johnson County)
- 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. The middle level was used for unloading hay with fork and rope, storage rooms, and wooden tracks to download hay from the top floor and move on a rail car to an attached cattle-feeding shed. The lower level held 32 horses and 16 dairy cows. Four shafts from the upper floor provided openings to drop down feed for the horses and cows below (Award of Distinction).
- Schroeder Barn at 2738 130th St., Wilton (Muscatine County)
- Built in the 1940s, this barn features a balcony haymow on both sides of the ground floor alleyway. The original hay trolley and track are still intact. The south side of the barn was never painted, so it was left that way.
- The Old Barn - Muscatine County Conservation (new for 2024) at 3300 Cedar St., Muscatine (Muscatine County)
- A 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).
- Frye Barn at 11150 New Liberty Rd., Maysville (Scott County)
- 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 brickwork 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 at 23553 200th Avenue, Davenport (Scott County)
- Herbert Schneckloth, a 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) at 9478 145th St., 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 a 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).
- Bartelt Barn at 16298 Highway 61, Burlington (Des Moines County)
- After seeing this landmark barn falling into disrepair, Dale and Julie Bartelt bought the property in 2004 and restored it back to its former beauty. The 1875 peg and post basement barn features a limestone foundation. In 2023, a beautiful covered bridge was built to span the creek near the barn to honor Dale before his passing (Award of Distinction).
- Murphy Barn at 7606 Stony Hollow Rd., Burlington (Des Moines County)
- Primitive historic barn has horse stalls, a milking area, a hog house, a corn crib, a cattle feeding area, and a hay loft. The barn is still used for agriculture (Award of Distinction).
- Pfeiff Barn at 1913 W Mt Pleasant St., West Burlington (Des Moines County)
- This beautifully restored bank barn has been in the same family for three generations. It is believed to have been built in the early 1900s and features pegged mortise and tenon joints. The upper level was used for grain and hay storage, and the lower level has a unique feeding system (Award of Distinction).
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