George Washington's 16-Sided Thrashing Barn 1794 at Mount Vernon
This nearly round, 16-sided replicated barn was designed by George Washington in 1792 when he became frustrated with the typical methods of threshing grain at the time. The George Washington Round Barn works in that horses are driven around a circular path on the upper level of the barn, treading the wheat as they walk. The wheat then fell through the cracks between the slats of the floorboards down to the lower level of the barn. Below it was gathered, cleaned and readied for the grist mill, which he also built.
Built at his Dogue Run Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, it is regarded as the First American round barn. Although he was in Philadelphia serving as president at the time, George Washington carefully supervised the construction of his new barn. He even calculated (correctly) the number of bricks needed to complete the first floor - 30,820.
Yes, George Washington of the American Revolution, 1st U.S. President, tri-corn hat and one whose presence graces our dollar bill was eager to try the latest reforms and incorporate science into his projects.
Whiskey, flour, fishing, and real estate are but a few of the trades into which George Washington dove head first. A former tobacco plantation yielded successful crops of wheat. He invested in a radical new automated technology for grinding grain that yielded so much he sold it all over Europe. With all that grain and nearby water ~ the Potomac flowed outside his front door), he experimented with whiskey, a business so successful he built one of America’s largest distilleries.
A Round Barn is a historic barn design that could be octagonal, polygonal, or circular in plan. Historic barns are full of such character and can be found throughout the U.S. with the largest concentrations in the Midwest. Wisconsin has a very good representation of round barns.
Reasons for building Round Barns abound. Many of the reasons for building round barns actually had some basis in mathematical fact, such as the volume-to-surface ratio. Others were borne out in practice, such as the ability of round barns to stand up in storms and tornadoes while their rectangular neighbors were destroyed. And some even attribute their construction to the folk belief that evil spirits hid in corners so they eliminated the corners.
When you reach the posted coordinates, you will be able to begin your search for Stage 1 that holds the coordinates for the final stage of the multicache in Lowe’s Creek Park. You will be able to view a Round Barn on your trek from Stage 1 to the final at Stage 2.
Blue Round Barn in Eau Claire County
