Arcadia Round Barn, Oklahoma

What is Arcadia Round Barn?

The barn is a circle roughly 60 feet across. Its walls and roof rafters were made from bur oak boards that had been soaked while still green, then bent to fit the curve. Many barns called round are really six- or eight-sided; this one is a genuine circle, a detail that appeals to anyone who enjoys old carpentry.

Odor also gave it a second level, meant as a gathering place for the community, so the building was more than a farm structure from the start.

History of Arcadia Round Barn

Arcadia grew up after the railroad arrived. In the 1920s the newly created Route 66 was laid out through town, passing right beside the barn, and passing motorists became part of its story. When the interstate pulled traffic away, both the town and the barn went into decline, and in 1988 the big roof collapsed. Volunteers led by Luther Robison took on the rebuilding, and the work was finished in 1992. The barn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visiting Arcadia Round Barn: tips

If you drive the old road through Arcadia, the barn is right on your way, so no detour is needed. Allow half an hour to look closely at the curved woodwork. Food is about 0.2 mile away and fuel about 0.6 mile. To build a longer Oklahoma City area day, the Threatt Filling Station is about 10 miles away, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and Hambrick Botanical Gardens are each about 12 miles away.