U.S. #5553
2021 36¢ Barns – Round Barn in Fall
Issue Date: January 24, 2021
First Day City: Barnesville, GA
Type of Stamp: Definitive
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Coil of 100
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 400,000,000
Barns come in many different shapes and sizes. One of the more unusual designs is known as a round barn. These structures are built in a circular or octagonal shape rather than a traditional squar eor rectangular one.
Round barns first reached popularity during the 18th and early 19th centuries. At first, they were actually octagonal in shape as building technology was not yet advanced enough for true circles. True circular barns were introduced in 1889 and were built through 1936. However, there were some earlier examples of round barns. For example, in 1793, George Washington designed and built a 16-sided barn at his home in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The very first truly round barn (no straight sides) in North America was built in 1826 at hancock Shaker Village, Massachusetts. The revolutionary building was spoken of across the country, but it was not until 1880 that the design became popular. They were celebrated for their improved efficiency over square designs. Round barns were cheaper to construct, required less materials, and had greater structural stability. They became especially popular in the Midwest.
There are not many round barns left today. Those that do still exist are beautiful pieces of history. They are reminders of the innovation of builders past.