John C. Menihan
United States, 1908-1992 Round Barn, Vermont, ca. 1937
Lithograph
Loan: Menihan Family Collection
A 1911-1912 agricultural report stated that the essential advantages of the round barn are convenience, strength, and cheapness; and that it incorporated a large unobstructed hayloft. It was estimated that the cost of constructing a round barn was 34 - 58% that of a traditional rectangular barn. These were very strong structures that were often used to house dairy cows, with grain and hay stored on a second floor loft or hay mow.
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