Have you visited the Fromme-Birney Round Barn lately? July 12, 2022 in Community By Jennifer Stultz From press reports The Fromme-Birney Round Barn, south of Mullinville in Kiowa County has received some attention lately, part of a feature in Kansas Travel with KansasTravel.org. It was also named in Another 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture list as a place to be sure to visit. And, it was part of a PBS Kansas (Wichita channel 8 ) documentary on March 21 called “Historic Buildings of Kansas – Part II.” As if that hasn’t been enough attention, it was added to the Round Barns Across America list on June 25, 2022. According to that listing, there are a number of round barns across America that have executed perfect plans of preservation, like the Bert Leedy round barn in Fulton County, Indiana; the Ryan round barn in Henry County, Illinois; the Secrest octagon barn in Johnson County, Iowa; and the Arcadia round barn in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, just to name a few. Each one was completely restored and then opened for the public to enjoy. According to Round Barn afficianodos, building the 1912 Fromme-Birney round barn in Kiowa County, Kansas took teamwork, planning, determination and hard work. Restoration required the same. Maintenance and upkeep is not for the weak of heart. And then there’s the preservation of the history of the structure itself to consider—stories of the people that built it, used it; stories of those that loved it enough to preserve it; and the countless stories that tourists themselves have told of their own tangible experiences at these historic places. No stone was left unturned and no box left unchecked during the Fromme-Birney barn preservation project, according to recent press. As a result, a truly remarkable experience awaits tourists. Inside, after ascending the steps to the loft, roof rafters propel the eye upwards to the stunning geometric architecture of the cupola. And downstairs, with information posted around every bend, there’s an enlightening educational experience here as well. Background history on the barn includes the following: In 1912 Henry W. Fromme, a German immigrant, hired William “Pat” Campbell, a local carpenter, to build a large round barn to house 28 draft horses and a box stall for the registered Percheron stallion which he imported from France. Round barns were promoted as being more wind resistant, efficient use of space, and took less lumber to construct the same volume of space. The estimated cost was $8,000, which is several thousand dollars higher than that of other barns of the time. Soon after construction the tractor replaced the horse as the farm power source and the barn was obsolete. It was later used for hay storage. In the 1980s Phyllis Birney received the barn and one acre of land from her husband Lawrence as a 15th wedding anniversary gift. Through her efforts, in 1987 the barn became listed as the Fromme-Birney “Round” Barn on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance. The barn was restored in 1995 with a Heritage Trust Fund Grant. The restoration was done by Jerry and Jeff Koehn. Description: Not actually round, but sixteen sided, the barn stands 50 ft. tall and 70 ft. in diameter. It is covered with a double pitch, domical roof that is topped with a sixteen-sided cupola with an elaborate 6 1/2 foot weathervane. Almost 2,000 pattern imprinted galvanized metal “hip shingles” cover the ridges where the sixteen sides of the roof come together. A 16-sided granary stands in the center of the barn on the first floor, and measures sixteen feet across. A wagon area measuring thirteen feet wide encircles the granary. Fourteen trapezoidal stalls measuring fourteen feet in length and fourteen feet at their widest part line the exterior wall of the first floor. The two level haymow is covered with tongue in groove pine boards. Original color was white with a green roof. The barns stands out for miles around and served as a landmark for training WWII bomber navigators. In 2008 the Round Barn was voted one of the eight architectural wonders of Kansas. Visitors are welcome. Drop by and see the barn.” Located 3 1/2 miles south and 1 3/4 miles west of Mullinville, the Fromme-Birney Round Barn in Mullinville, Kansas is now open to the public for self-guided tours, it once housed draft horses. There are even postcards and the original roof ridge caps sitting out for sale, trusting visitors to pay on the honor system. Round Barn T-shirts can be purchased at the Mullinville Cleaners, 101 S Main Street, Mullinville (620) 548-2373. Latest Stories Summer baseball team travels to Colorado for team-building fun and tournament action July 12, 2022 Have you visited the Fromme-Birney Round Barn lately? 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The Fromme-Birney Round Barn, south of Mullinville in Kiowa County has received some attention lately, part of a feature in Kansas Travel with KansasTravel.org. It was also named in Another 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture list as a place to be sure to visit. And, it was part of a PBS Kansas (Wichita channel 8 ) documentary on March 21 called “Historic Buildings of Kansas – Part II.”

As if that hasn’t been enough attention, it was added to the Round Barns Across America list on June 25, 2022.

According to that listing, there are a number of round barns across America that have executed perfect plans of preservation, like the Bert Leedy round barn in Fulton County, Indiana; the Ryan round barn in Henry County, Illinois; the Secrest octagon barn in Johnson County, Iowa; and the Arcadia round barn in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, just to name a few. Each one was completely restored and then opened for the public to enjoy.

According to Round Barn afficianodos, building the 1912 Fromme-Birney round barn in Kiowa County, Kansas took teamwork, planning, determination and hard work. Restoration required the same. Maintenance and upkeep is not for the weak of heart. And then there’s the preservation of the history of the structure itself to consider—stories of the people that built it, used it; stories of those that loved it enough to preserve it; and the countless stories that tourists themselves have told of their own tangible experiences at these historic places.

No stone was left unturned and no box left unchecked during the Fromme-Birney barn preservation project, according to recent press. As a result, a truly remarkable experience awaits tourists. Inside, after ascending the steps to the loft, roof rafters propel the eye upwards to the stunning geometric architecture of the cupola. And downstairs, with information posted around every bend, there’s an enlightening educational experience here as well.

Background history on the barn includes the following: In 1912 Henry W. Fromme, a German immigrant, hired William “Pat” Campbell, a local carpenter, to build a large round barn to house 28 draft horses and a box stall for the registered Percheron stallion which he imported from France. Round barns were promoted as being more wind resistant, efficient use of space, and took less lumber to construct the same volume of space. The estimated cost was $8,000, which is several thousand dollars higher than that of other barns of the time.

Soon after construction the tractor replaced the horse as the farm power source and the barn was obsolete. It was later used for hay storage. In the 1980s Phyllis Birney received the barn and one acre of land from her husband Lawrence as a 15th wedding anniversary gift. Through her efforts, in 1987 the barn became listed as the Fromme-Birney “Round” Barn on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance.

The barn was restored in 1995 with a Heritage Trust Fund Grant. The restoration was done by Jerry and Jeff Koehn.

Description: Not actually round, but sixteen sided, the barn stands 50 ft. tall and 70 ft. in diameter. It is covered with a double pitch, domical roof that is topped with a sixteen-sided cupola with an elaborate 6 1/2 foot weathervane. Almost

2,000 pattern imprinted galvanized metal “hip shingles” cover the ridges where the sixteen sides of the roof come together.

A 16-sided granary stands in the center of the barn on the first floor, and measures sixteen feet across. A wagon area measuring thirteen feet wide encircles the granary. Fourteen trapezoidal stalls measuring fourteen feet in length and fourteen feet at their widest part line the exterior wall of the first floor. The two level haymow is covered with tongue in groove pine boards.

Original color was white with a green roof. The barns stands out for miles around and served as a landmark for training WWII bomber navigators.

In 2008 the Round Barn was voted one of the eight architectural wonders of Kansas. Visitors are welcome. Drop by and see the barn.”

Located 3 1/2 miles south and 1 3/4 miles west of Mullinville, the Fromme-Birney Round Barn in Mullinville, Kansas is now open to the public for self-guided tours, it once housed draft horses. There are even postcards and the original roof ridge caps sitting out for sale, trusting visitors to pay on the honor system. Round Barn T-shirts can be purchased at the Mullinville Cleaners, 101 S Main Street, Mullinville (620) 548-2373.