Wilhelm Pelster House-Barn, German heritage house-barn in Franklin County, Missouri.

The Wilhelm Pelster House-Barn combines residential space and agricultural facilities across four interior levels, measuring about 60 feet (18 meters) wide and 53 feet (16 meters) deep. The structure was built using Fachwerk timber-frame techniques and later covered with wooden siding.

Wilhelm Pelster, a German immigrant, constructed this building between 1860 and 1864 using building styles from his homeland. It represents the German settlement wave that shaped Franklin County and later became known as the Missouri Rhineland.

This building shows how German immigrants designed their homes and organized daily life between living space and farm work. The architecture reflects traditions that these communities brought from their homeland.

The building stands near New Haven in Franklin County, Missouri, and is reached by road from the surrounding countryside. It is a banked structure, so the ground level opens onto the slope while the upper floors sit above it. The four interior levels are connected by stairs, and the timber framing and masonry are best examined from outside as well as within.

The granary's timber joints were cut with a mortise and tenon system, and pencil calculations are still visible on the creamy white mortar filling the gaps between the timbers. The house side instead uses lath walls and ceilings of narrow wood strips.