ryan round barn

Our Camping Club recently visited the Ryan Round Barn in Kewanee, Illinois. It was constructed by Dr. Laurence Ryan in 1910 for his Black Angus cattle, imported from Scotland. Dr. Ryan was born in the 1860's and enjoyed a reputation as an international brain surgeon and also was a pioneer in plastic surgery. The barn was completed in 1910 at a cost of $9600 and is a true round barn. It is 85-feet in diameter and 90-foot high to the cupola. The horizontal siding is made of pine and was said to have been soaked overnight in a nearby pond in order to be made pliable enough to bend onto the convex exterior wall. The loft is capable of holding 250 tons of loose hay. Today the barn houses a large display of antique machinery and other artifacts of farm days past. The barn was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places on December 31, 1974. Our group thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend it to others. The admission was $2-3 per person.