The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-11-04
The Great shaker Barn.

But the GROWING glorles oil all me
societies or families, are the great Shaker
barns. Several of the families at Leba
non had extensive and good ones, and
al Hancock there is one that has been
often described as something very super
ior. 1t is built of stone, is circular, a
hundred feet in diameter, with a stable
on the ground floor, all around, and cart
way all around The second story, with a
great haw NOW in the center
The north family, at Lebanon, occu
pied some twenty detached buildings for
barn purposes, some of which were de-
caying, and the whole inconvenient, and
not in the usual order of the Shakers. 1t
was determined to build new barn to
take the place Of all the old ones, and it
has been done, and the result is the most
complete, perhaps in the world. | have
never seen or heard Of anything equal TO
this barn, whinh was planned by Elder
Frederick, after visiting every other
large barn that he could, SO as TO avoid
errors and adopt Improvements.
This barn is 1876 feet long, so feet
wide, five stories high ; tho walls of good
fat quarred stone, five feet thick at the
foundation, carefully laid in lime mortar,
cement pointed outside, and plastered in
side rooted with tarred paper, cement
and gravel. 1t also has three wings,
wooden buildings, which from four sheds
about 100 feet long upon the east and
west side Of two cattle yards, on the
south of the main building, with lofts for
straw AMI grain connected with the
barn
The lower story oil The barn is ma
nure cellar, and at the west end is level
with tie ground, so that carts can be
driven in and out with ease. The next
story is the cow stable, which is on a
level with tie yard, the cows standing
with their heads towards the center, with
passage between supplied with water
pipes and cocks In this passage roots,
cut feed or water, can be given in iron
feed boxes, which swing on a pivot into
The passage Behind the cows tho floor
drops a couple of inches, space Of three
feet, AMI back Of that rises again. The
depression is 10 hold the manure. On
the rise behind are iron rails, upon which
ears run into The west end and over a
SPACE about q5 feet wide, and discharge
their loads, the rails aud turn table be-
iue so contriyed that the manure is well
distributed with but little labor. The
idea is entertained of making the whole
cellar into liquid manure vat, which
could be distributed by its own gravity
upon the lower part Of the farm, or sent
higher up By the wateTpower that drives
the mill not far distant. The COWS are
al fastened in their stalls at each milk
ING, in summer, and all at one movement.
They are driven in all together, and each
one takes her place, where her name is
printed overhead, and then by the pull
of a ccrd, all the movable stanchions are
closed They are opened by reversed
motion, and all the cows hurried out in
a drove, so that they never make a de-
post upon the hocr. They are left
few minutes TO DO that IN the yard, be
fore sending them 10 pasture.
There are six large chimney venlila
tors from the rear of the stalls TO the
roof The floor above them supports
the great hay mows, between which is
tie floor FOR feeding hay, which is sent
down to the COWS through box tubes,
and these, when empty, also assist ven
Citation. There are openings from this
floor into lie straw lofts over the sheds.
and also to tie store rooms FOR roots and
grain.
The next aoor IS he grand drive way
for loads or hay, sixteen feet wide and
one hundred and nineiy.six feet long
with ample space at the west end 10 turn
a-ound. This hoor opens upon public
road, and IS but little above lis lsvel SO
that loads really come in easily at the
top Of the barn. Over ll.is for is
fdh story. only the width Of the floor, TO
give room for work, and ventilation and
light Half Of the many windows are
glass and half slated blinds. The hay
IS nearly al thrown down, not pitched
~ from the load. In case Of need, the
large space at The end could be filed,
bnt is thought that it viii not be neces.
sary, except with corn, which can be
hu7hcl there AMI thrown down a spout
into large, any granary over The west
ern shed.
Altogether, | look upon this as the
most complete barn in the country, and
wall worthy 81 n visit hv amy ooe wiz,