The Nashold Twenty-Sided Barn offers a unique glimpse into Wisconsin¿s agricultural past. Built in 1911, near the end of a short-lived period of circular barn construction, the Nashold Barn is one of a few well-maintained survivors. Promoted by agricultural researchers at nearby UW-Madison and elsewhere, circular barns were a scientific response to the growing needs of dairying. Builders intended their round shape to reduce construction materials and costs. Circular construction created a more efficient interior layout, since facing cows towards the center silo allowed for easy feeding and waste removal.

Constructed with a fieldstone basement and wood-frame hayloft, the Nashold barn radiates around a forty-foot center silo. Small, multi-paned wooden windows illuminate the ground floor cow stalls. On the exterior of the barn, the ramp leading to the hayloft is an earthen embankment under which sits a milk house. This construction strategy allowed for efficient insulation of milk in both the winter and summer and is an adaptation little seen in other barns.

The barn is located on private property. Please respect the privacy of the owners.