The Fromme-Birney Round Barn is well off the beaten path but definitely worth seeking out. I found this unusual barn by following the signs from US-54 near Mullinville, Kansas,on the western edge of Kiowa County. Drive 3 1/2 miles south and then 1 3/4 miles west, along unpaved farm roads. You will see the barn rising above the flat prairie long before you reach it.
This magnificent structure is very impressive in the detail of its workmanship. It was built in 1912 for Henry W. Fromme at a cost of $8,000. The barn isn't actually round but rather polygonal, having 16 sides. It is 50-feet high by 70-feet wide and was built to house draft horses which were used in for plowing, hauling and other heavy farm work.
Phyllis Birney of Boca Raton, Florida, fell in love with the old barn when she first saw it in the early 1970s. Because of her concern in wanting to see the barn preserved, her husband, Lawrence, gave the barn and one acre of land to Phyllis for their 15th wedding anniversary in 1986.
Phyllis in turn deeded the barn to the Kiowa County Historical Society in December, 1993. In 1995 the barn was restored with a grant from the Heritage Trust Fund. Today it stands unattended but unlocked for visitors to explore. Inside are displayed pictures and stories of round barns of the U.S., farm machinery, farm life of 1912, and information on the builders. On the windy November afternoon that I was there not another soul was around.
It was easy to see why Phyllis Birney fell in love with the Round Barn at first sight, because I did too.
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