Tonsfeldt Round Barn, round barn in Le Mars, Iowa
Tonsfeldt Round Barn is a circular barn built in 1918 in Le Mars, Iowa, designed to house Polled Hereford cattle. The structure features curved wooden beams with no cross supports, a self-supporting gothic arch roof, and a central silo around which animals could gather for feeding.
The barn was built starting in 1918 by H.P. Tonsfeldt over three years to house his Polled Hereford breeding operation. After Tonsfeldt moved away in the late 1920s, the property changed hands several times before the barn was relocated to the Plymouth County Fairgrounds in 1981 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The barn bears the name of its builder H.P. Tonsfeldt and stands as a working monument to early farming practices in Iowa. It shows how cattle breeders displayed their specialized animals and used architecture to reflect their agricultural enterprise.
The barn is located on the Plymouth County Fairgrounds and is accessible during events and scheduled tours; check ahead for visiting times. Ample parking is available on the fairgrounds near the barn, making it convenient for visitors traveling from town.
The barn was moved to the fairgrounds in 1981 using special trucks that crossed rivers and railway tracks at just 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour). Local police, firefighters, and highway workers coordinated the move, which took only a couple of hours to complete despite the challenging route.
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