Not only is it widely believed to be the biggest barn in the Hawkeye State, but it's also one of the longest-standing, as it was built back in 1889.

The barn stands 30 feet tall and is over 120 feet long and its upper level was later converted into a gymnasium.

Get our free mobile app

Welcome to the Stone Barn in Stone City, Iowa

Credit: Atlas Obscura Website
Credit: Atlas Obscura Website
loading...

The barn was constructed in the late 19th century by John Greene, who operated a nearby quarry, from which Stone City got its name. The small town was thriving at the time due to its abundance of limestone.

According to the website, Altas Obscura, the barn was one of many different limestone structures built in Stone City in the late 1800s:

One of the first such structures, completed in 1883, was the magnificent Columbia Hall: a 54-room hotel that included a bank, a tavern, and an opera house that hosted some of the most famous entertainers of the time. Other notable buildings included a water tower, a blacksmith shop, a massive barn, a quarry office, a general store that also served as a post office and rail depot, and a few mansions for owners themselves. All of the buildings looked impressive, fashioned as they were of the same stately limestone the company produced.

-Atlas Obscura Website

Sadly, the beautiful limestone quarries in Stone City soon became obsolete, with a new cement plant opening in the nearby town of Waterloo, Iowa. Soon many of the buildings in the town became relics of the past, and unfortunately, not all of them survived.

The barn, however, still stands to this day, and you can even take a tour of it yourself.

To learn the full history of the Stone City Barn, check out this article from Atlas Obscura, and this one from the Iowa Road Trip Website.

Story Source: Atlas Obscura Website, Iowa Road Trip Website

Top Things Most Iowans Were Afraid Of When They Were Kids

If you were a kid in Iowa chances are you were afraid of many of the scary things on this list. Now be honest!

More From KYBB-FM / B102.7