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Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn

Coordinates: 38°40′13″N 96°26′58″W / 38.67015°N 96.44947°W / 38.67015; -96.44947 (Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn)
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Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn
Barn in 2021
Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn is located in Kansas
Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn
Nearest cityCouncil Grove, Kansas
Coordinates38°40′13″N 96°26′58″W / 38.67015°N 96.44947°W / 38.67015; -96.44947 (Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn)
Arealess than one acre
Built1871
Architectural styleLimestone bank barn
NRHP reference No.90001576[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1990

The Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn, located north of U.S. Route 56 and east of Big John Creek in Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[1][2]

It is a bank barn, which is a barn built against a hillside having entrances on two levels.

Built during 1871-1872, the limestone barn measures 76 by 40 feet (23 m × 12 m). The stone walls are 2 feet (0.61 m) thick. The roof is of a double truss design of native oak. The property, at one time, was owned by Seth Hays and it is likely he paid for its construction.[2]

The farm was purchased by Morris County in 1877 for use as a poor farm, and it served as that until 1945.[2]

At the time of the National Register listing in 1990, study was underway about how the barn could be restored and reused in some way; a grant had been received to hire an architect or engineer to address structural problems.[2]

During 1992 to 2006, the barn's roof, windows, and drainpipes were replaced, and its walls were repaired.[3][4]

Back view of barn, from 2021

It is located behind (on the north side of) what the Morris County Fairgrounds is now.[5] A sign on westbound Highway 56 indicates "OLD STONE BARN" at what is also an entrance to the Morris County Recycling Center and the Morris County Transfer Station.[6] Big John Creek runs through the property.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Martha Hagedorn-Krass (September 7, 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Big John Farm Limestone Bank Barn". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2022. With accompanying 28 photos from 1989
  3. ^ "The Limestone Bank Barn Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Historic Marker Database. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Per text of sign posted at the building, photographed in 2021.
  5. ^ Google Satellite view
  6. ^ Google Streetmaps, accessed January 2022.
  7. ^ Natalie Hogan (September 6, 2009). Council Grove, Kansas: Big John Limestone Bank Barn. Blogspot.com posting accessed January 2022 which cannot be linked from Wikipedia, and which includes six photos.
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