The Round Barn of Mullinville

Location:  From Mullinville, drive 3 1/2 miles South and 1 3/4 miles West.

Contact:  Phone-- 316/723-3263

Admission:  Donations appreciated.

Photos Copyright H. Schuster.  Please do not use without permission.

Round barns are rare, and fully restored ones are rarer still.  The Fromme-Birney barn south of Mullinville has been completely restored to how it would have looked shortly after its construction in 1912..  The 50 foot tall by 70 foot in diameter structure was built to provide shelter for 28 draft horses by a German immigrant, Henry Fromme.  The barn cost around $8000 to build, which would have been a large sum in those days.  What Fromme had no way of knowing was that the draft horses would soon be replaced by the tractor, thus making the both the horses and the barn obsolete.

Looking straight up from the second story haymow, you can see the rafter detail.  The Fromme-Birney barn is not a true "round barn" but it has sixteen sides.  Round barns can trace their origins back to the colonial period of American History.  George Washington had a sixteen sided barn on his farm.  The Shaker Religious colonies of the 19th century popularized the design.  They used round barns because of their utilitarian design, and also because there were no corners for the Devil to hide in.

Late in the 19th century, several Universities began to promote the round barn design as more efficient.  While its true, the round barns took less lumber to construct and made livestock feeding more efficient, construction costs were generally higher than a comparable square barn.

In the photo, right, you can see the ground floor layout.  To the right in the photo is the central granary.   Fourteen stalls were located around the outside of the barn's interior.  Barn design was near or at its apex during this period, but in just a few years machine power would replace horse power and these structures would become obsolete.

Phyllis Birney was deeded the round barn and one acre of land by her husband in 1986 as an anniversary gift.  Through her efforts, the barn was placed on the National Historic Register in 1987, and in 1993 she donated the barn to the Kiowa County Historical Society in hopes of restoring the barn.   Restoration began in 1995 when a Heritage Trust Fund Grant was received for the barn.  Today, with its fresh coat of white paint, and being the only building for several miles, the barn is a striking sight on the western Kansas plains.

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