The Rural Voice, 1980-07, Page 5Huron County has its own historical barn located on a
working farm in Ashfield township. Jim Nelson Is the
present owner.
A barn with a difference
BY SHEILA GUNBY
When you see this octagonal barn in
Huron County, you immediately question
why the builder ignored tradition and
decided to build a barn this shape.
Did the builder have a flair for mathe-
matics and know the barn enclosed the
least wall area? Was he thinking of
economy of material or did he just want
something different?
This barn, situated in Ashfield township
is located on a farm owned by Jim Nelson.
Jim says the barn was originally built by
a James J. Henderson and his brother
Thomas but he has no record of the date it
was constructed, probably in the late
1800's.
The ground floor originally housed cattle
around the outside and the manure track
was also around the inside edge. Feed for
the animals was put into the centre.
What is really unique is the threshing
floor level. There are no posts cluttering up
the floor space. There are no beams
spanning the building. The octagon shape
makes each side bear equally upon every
other side, so there is still great strength
without crossties or beams.
There are only about a dozen barns of
this shape in Ontario. A lot of them have
been moved to museums but this one is
still maintained on a working farm.
THE RURAL VOICE/JULY 1900 PO. 3