Property Record
W SIDE OF GILBERT RD, OFF OF HAFEMAN RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Risum Round Barn (Carl Risum) |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 29554 |
| Location (Address): | W SIDE OF GILBERT RD, OFF OF HAFEMAN RD |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Spring Valley |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 2 |
| Range: | 10 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 34 |
| Quarter Section: | NE |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SW |
| Year Built: | 1892 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1977 |
| Historic Use: | barn-centric |
| Architectural Style: | Other Vernacular |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Durand Free Library |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 2/20/1980 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: | Centric Barns of Rock County Thematic Group |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. This two-story barn was constructed for Norwegian immigrant Carl Risum (1847-1899) shortly after proponent Franklin H. King first published his plans through the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station in 1890. Carl Rissum came to the United States in 1854 with his father, Hans Ludwig Risum. Carl took over the farm from his father in 1876 after having served in the Civil War. The balloon-frame building centers on a central wooden silo. A conical roof, with an octagonal cupola providing light and ventilation, crowns the walls of horizontal lapped siding. Ventilation proved to be a crucial consideration in any barn, especially given the ever-present danger that green hay might otherwise become too hot and catch fire. Inside the barn, the roof supports look like a huge umbrella, with the rafters 4 inches apart at the juncture with the silo and 2 feet apart above the studs. The barn interior was functionally organized in two levels. The ground story held the stalls for thirty cows and six horses, and above this was the haymow, or loft. THE CARPENTER WAS JOHN GANSERT, OR GANSELL. |
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| Bibliographic References: | ORAL TRADITION. A PIECE OF HISTORY PAMPHLET, AL WELLS, P.O. BOX 1902, JANESVILLE, WI 53547-1902. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |