Round Barn Capital of the World in Rochester, Indiana

All the United States Indiana Round Barn Capital of the World A turn-of-the-century agricultural architecture movement turned out to be a fad that caught on the strongest near Rochester, Indiana. Close-up view of the Bert Leedy Round Barn asterlan / Atlas Obscura User View of the Bert Leedy Round Barn behind the Fulton County Museum sign asterlan / Atlas Obscura User The Smiley Round Barn is located within the city of Rochester. asterlan / Atlas Obscura User The Haimbaugh Round Barn is located just northeast of Rochester, IN. Coolguy714 Ground floor of the Bert Leedy Round Barn U.S.

Government.JPG) Close-up view of the Bert Leedy Round Barn asterlan / Atlas Obscura User View of the Bert Leedy Round Barn behind the Fulton County Museum sign asterlan / Atlas Obscura User The Smiley Round Barn is located within the city of Rochester. asterlan / Atlas Obscura User The Haimbaugh Round Barn is located just northeast of Rochester, IN. Government.JPG) Your typical barn employs a rectangular shape, with various styles of roofing. However, rectangular barns use material inefficiently; a round design allows a larger area to be enclosed by the same amount of siding.

By the early 20th century, round barns were faster, cheaper, and easier to build than rectangular barns, while land-grant colleges like Purdue University heralded them as the future of agriculture. Starting around 1910, local developer Charles Vallandingham Kindig built the majority of Fulton County’s once-17 round barns. However, round barns soon fell out of fashion as farmers began to utilize bulky machines that were stored best in the traditional rectangular shape.

As many round barns were falling into disrepair, the Fulton County Round Barn Museum began rehoming and restoring them in 1989. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

The round barns are found throughout Fulton County, not solely at the historical museum. The farmland on the old Isle of Axholme is one of only 4 places in the UK where the medieval practice of strip farming still persists. Get some farm-to-table history at this living history museum, where you’ll learn what farm life was like a hundred years ago.

This roadside stand packs 300-plus varieties of tomatoes, from "Maiden's Fire" to "Kaleidoscopic Jewel." This building was once a town hall, a fire station, a prison, a dairy market, and the target for two marksmen. Underneath the bustling city streets, a hydroponic farm grows unique herbs in an urban oasis. ## Become an Atlas Obscura Member * * * Join our community of curious explorers.