Day 53 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Monday June 23rd, day 53 of our 2025 summer adventure. I walked and then we enjoyed a leisurely morning. We headed over to State College in the early afternoon. I had a little business at our bank, Truist, in advance of my phone call tomorrow to review my military retirement packet.

On our way over I noticed a unique round barn. On the way back, I grabbed a few photos and did my research. Popularly known simply as the Round Barn, it is one of the most recognized agricultural structures in Centre County. The Neff Round Barn was built in 1910 by Calvin R. Neff and Aaron Thomas, the barn is on State Route 45 about 2 miles from Old Fort and Gate #4 to the Centre County Grange Fairgrounds.

Round barns were popular during the late nineteenth century to maximize the use of space. Neff was inspired to pursue the unconventional design when he saw round barns on a train trip through the Midwest in 1892. The round design was most frequently seen in the Midwest and Northeast. The barn is believed to be the first built with a round design in the county and attracted a great deal of attention.

Compared to a standard rectangular barn, a round barn was a cheaper option for many farmers during the early 20th century. The central silo served not only as storage but also as the primary structural support for the barn. Placing grain at the top of the silo on the second floor took advantage of gravity to drop grain and hay into feeding bins on lower floors thus reducing the need for labor. Several other round barns were built in the county, including the Beck Round Barn on state Route 192 in Gregg Township.

At 56 feet high and 88 feet in diameter, the Neff Barn was one of the largest barns in Centre County at the time of construction. It was built with white pine on a limestone foundation. The barn has two distinct floors: the mow floor and the cattle floor The mow floor can be accessed through four barn doors on the north side of the structure. A large silo sits in the middle of the barn with grain bins that extend out from it. The space surrounding the silo is large enough for wagons and other vehicles to easily enter and exit the mow floor. The cattle floor, or lower floor, contains numerous stalls and pens to house cattle. A feed alley stands between the silo and the first sill where the grain boxes are stored. Similar to the mow floor, the layout of the cattle floor is designed so that wagons can easily move in and out of the space.

We hung out in the afternoon and tried to stay cool. It was over 90 degrees here in Pennsylvania today. We visited with our new friend, Greg. He lives just north of the fairgrounds. He has been driving his side-by-side up and down the road, multiple times a day and we just struck up a conversation. He owns a local restaurant, The Express Casual Dining. He is closed Sunday and Monday. They serve comfort food in the old train station in Centre Hall. We are heading there tomorrow! Charlie wanted some popcorn. I popped some and continued with my Hot Honey fascination, as I drizzled some on my share of the popcorn!

We enjoyed a bit of picking by our neighbors early in the evening. Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!