And now only one in Wayne County

By Michael Schaffer - Managing editor

Wayne County at one time had six round barns. Because of nature and time only one still exists.

Take S26 south off of Highway 2 west of Corydon. Drive the short distance to Allerton and take a left at the intersection of Central Avenue and Maple Street, where the Allerton Fire Department building sits. At the end of the road are four white structures that will take you back to the late 1800s.

The 1912-built 50-foot round barn is the oldest original structure to occupy the nearly 93 acre site. On Sept. 11, 1998 the 1887 New York Christian Church was moved 18 miles from the now ghost town of New York to replace the 1868 Spring Branch Seceder Associate Presbyterian Church, fully restored, that was struck by lightning and burned to the ground on May 20, 1998. The Spring Branch Church was added to the location in 1994.

New York lost its last remaining building when the church, which was located on the Ernest Blakey farm east of Millerton in Wayne County, was moved.

Also occupying the land is the 1869 Williams County Schoolhouse, added in 1996, a Queen Anne Victorian house, which was moved from Allerton and is in the process of being restored and a windmill.

The round barn was built by local carpenter Ed Nelson for George Fennell, who owned the farm at the time it was built. The barn was been outfitted with electricity and recently was the scene of a wedding reception.

Fennell sold the farm to R.D. Kaster in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

Over the years the structures on the farm deteriorated. The barn was in need of restoration and in 1992 it and the property was purchased by the International Center for Rural Culture and Art.

For more information, contact the Wayne County Development Corporation at (641) 872-1536, the Historic Round Barn Site at (641) 873-4259 and (641) 873-5627 or visit www.waynecountyioea.com. The Historic Round Barn Site is open June, July and August Friday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for high school students, 50 cents for elementary students and under 5 is free.

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