User:Schultry/Triangle Lake Round Barn

Triangle Lake Round Barn in Blachly, OR

The Triangle Lake Round Barn is a circular barn in Blachly, Oregon. Originally built by John P. Sumich in 1949, the round barn is one of 12 historic sites in Oregon that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 for it's unique rotunda design with a conical roof and being the first round barn in Oregon.

Triangle Lake Round Barn

History of Round Barns

Despite never becoming the dominant form of barn in America, a number of round barns were constructed in America. While the first official round barn was constructed by Shakers in 1826, the idea can be traced back to George Washington's invention of the 16-sided treading barn. While early barns were used primarily for threshing, later round barns came to be primarily used as dairy barns. Due to the shape of cows, farmers realized that a feeding trough that stood in the center of the barn would allow for more cows to fit into the barn than a standard square barn. However, the barns were often seen as novel and unnecessary, and the construction of them fell off significantly in the 1920's due in part to the agricultural depression following World War 1.

John P. Sumich and Construction

John P. Sumich designed and built the barn in 1949. It holds the distinction of being the first round barn built in Oregon, and the only one used for dairy farming. Sumich, lived in the area after graduating from Triangle Lake High School in 1943 and was a dairy farmer. It is unknown why Sumich decided to construct the barn in this manner as there were no other round barns in Oregon at the time of its construction. While the design was unprecedented, Sumich was very successful with his dairy business in the barn and won several O.D.A. Milk Quality Awards.

The barn is created with locally sourced materials and uses concrete blocks for walls, Douglas fir beams for support poles, and aluminum sheet roofing.

Restoration

While the condition of the barn has deteriorated after serving as a pheasant farm, a movement to restore the barn into a community center has gained some support since 2016. Beginning in 2016, the current owners began to raise funds, estimated to be about $53,000, for the restoration of the barn due to damage caused by several winter storms as well as a lack of maintenance while serving as a pheasant farm from 1996 on for several years. If restored, it is slated to be used as a community center and location for agriculture education for the local Triangle Lake School.