Wickfield Round Barn | |
Location | Off Iowa Highway 2 |
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Nearest city | Cantril, Iowa |
Coordinates | 40°40′04.8″N 92°02′06.9″W / 40.668000°N 92.035250°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1919 |
Built by | Alva Hunt |
MPS | Iowa Round Barns: The Sixty Year Experiment TR |
NRHP reference No. | 86001447 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 30, 1986 |
The Wickfield Round Barn is a historic sale barn building located near Cantril in rural Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. Originally called Silvers Sale Pavilion, it was built in 1919 by Alva Hunt for $20,000. The true round barn measures 50 feet (15 m) in diameter. Frank Silvers, a successful hog breeder and businessman, operated the largest Hampshire hog farm in the world. [2] The first floor had seating for 700 people. [2] Silvers' business offices were also located on the first floor. The structure is constructed of clay tile and features an aerator. The two-pitch roof features eight dormers on the lower part and four dormers on the upper part of the roof. [3] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. [1] There are no round barns in Iowa used as sale barns any longer, and this one is used for storage. [2]
It is claimed to be the "most unusual use of any round barn in the state and without doubt the most elaborate farm sale barn known to have existed." [2]