A piece of the past

If you drive south out of the dusty little town of Mullinville Ks., a few miles down a sand road through the waving prairie grass, you will see a barn sitting on a small rise, alone save the windmill along side it, diligently spinning in the Kansas wind.

In 1912, Mr. Fromme paid Pat Campbell the astronomical sum of $8,000 to have this barn built. Not just any old barn, this would house Mr. Fromme's 28 draft horses, and the Percheron Stallion inported from France that he was so proud of. In 1987 the barn became listed on the National Registry of Historical Places for its architectural significance. The significance being that it is a round barn.

Not round, actually, but 16 sided.Inside the barn, there are 14 trapezoidinal stalls, and a box stall where the Percheron once lived. The workmanship is incredible, and you can feel the past as you breathe in the atmosphere of the barn. There are a few displays inside, and pictures from the past of the barn being built, and being used. No one stays at the barn during open hours, you turn on the lights as you go in, and turn them off when you leave. There is a box for donations, left on a table just inside the door, reflecting the trusting nature of the country people in the Historical Society that is in control of the upkeep. It reminds me of simpler days, and harder work. People who were taking pride in their workmanship, and not just putting in their time.


(Thank you, Sir, for taking this picture while you were here and letting me use it.)