Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Indiana's loss will be Michigan's gain when a round barn crosses the state line.
The barn, owned by Max and Lori Huffman, has been sold to Rick Moersch, From the Heart of the Vineyard. It will be transported just north of Buchanan, Mich., where it will be restored. The upper portion of the barn will house a restaurant, with a winery on the lower level.
Amos B. Schwartz Construction is dismantling the barn and will do the restoration after it reaches its destination. John Camden Construction, Pierceton, will take the walls down with a crane.
Schwartz restored a round barn on Ind. 25 that belongs to the Haimbaugh family, who use it for family reunions. He also restores covered bridges, like the one in Roann.
The Huffman barn is located just outside Kosciusko County on CR 900E in Fulton County. It is believed to have been built for Frank Drudge in 1911 by a Kentucky builder. The barn was made from timber that came from a woods on the farm and was built on a cement foundation.
Paul Brucker owned the barn from 1960 to 1990, when he sold it to the Huffmans. A wind storm in 1991 damaged the roof of the barn and broke one of the circular beams in the roof.
Round barns are an endangered species, according to Fulton County historian Shirley Willard. The first known round barn was built in 1824 by the Shakers. The first round barn in Indiana was built in 1874 and the last one in 1936. Round barns are disappearing because they cost too much to repair and farmers can't afford to pay the taxes on them for storage because today's large farm machinery won't fit through the doors. Strong winds and tornadoes have taken a toll on round barns and many are torn down after being damaged by weather and fire.
Fulton County, the round barn capital of the world, originally was home to 16 round barns. With the removal of the Huffman barn, the count is down to eight.
The Huffman barn is 63 feet in diameter and has had 5,000 bales of hay stored inside; filling it to the edge of the roof.
Schwartz said it will take two or three weeks to dismantle the barn and another two or three months to restore it.
