Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

As we continued our Route 66 journey we came upon the Arcadia Round Barn in Acadia, Oklahoma. I’m drawn to barns anyway, but this one was so unique I had to learn more.

Round red barn with domed roof and blue sky with white puffy clouds is the Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

The uniquely shaped Red Barn on Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma

So, of course, we had to stop and explore the only round barn on Route 66!

Sign in gravel welcoming you to Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma.

Welcome to Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

The Arcadia Round Barn is now a beautifully restored landmark and tourist attraction on historic U.S. Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma. It was built over a hundred years ago by local farmer William Harrison Odor in 1898. He used native bur oak boards that were soaked while green and forced into the curves needed for the walls and roof rafters. The Barn is 60 feet in diameter and 43 feet tall.

The burning question is “Why is it round”? And the answer was provided by the son of the barn’s designer and builder back in 1981. During an interview Ralph Odor stated that “At that time, there was a lot of tornadoes. My father figured if they had something round, it would hit and go around it instead of through it.”

Antique farm equipment

This led to the belief, In the early 1900s, that round barns were “cyclone-proof”. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the belief.

Antique road grader on display in foreground and small gray house in background at Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

Road Grader Circa 1920-30

William Harrison Odor and his wife Myra came to Oklahoma in 1892. A few years later, in 1896 they purchased 320 acres of farm land. A couple of years after that, in 1898, Bill Odor began construction of a new barn, with a unique round shape.

The barn was built by Odor along with his brother-in-law J. Henan Keely and several farm hands. In order to construct the curved roof rafters, green bur oak 2×4’s were soaked in the river and dried in a curved form. According to the website, “A ladder was built from the loft floor to the point where the apex of the roof would be, 43 feet above the ground. Legend has it that when it came time to fasten the first two rafters at the top, none of Odor’s workers were willing to perform the task. It was up to Odor himself to scale the ladder and tie the rafters together.”

Antique potato planter in the gravel surrounding the Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

Antique Horse-Drawn Potato Planter

The loft floor was finished with higher standards than necessary for a barn. The purpose was that it be used to hold dances. Today that loft is still used for dancing at weddings and other special events.

Outhouse on path to the Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

Everybody Had One

The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroad was built in 1902, right through Odor’s land, south of the barn. William Odor, along with Isaac Dawson, and B. F. Newkirk organized a town site company and laid out the town, naming it Arcadia.

Steve pretending to be using the outhouse at Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go! LOL

In April of 1946, barn ownership changed hands. It was passed to Frank and Katie Vrana who remained the owners for the next 30 years,

Coinciding with the Arcadia Round Barn being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the structure was quickly decaying. Unfortunately is became the target of vandals and arsonists.

Wall, cacti, flowers and flag at entrance to Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

America the Beautiful

The barn’s plight came to the attention of a retired builder and carpenter, Luke Robison. He formed The Arcadia Historical and Preservation Society along with his wife Anna and another woman Beverly White. In the Spring of 1988, descendants of Frank Vrana’s donated the barn to the Society.

Only a few days after Luke Robison had started shoring up the structure, on June 29, 1988 at 12:09 pm, the rotting roof of the barn fell in. One witness stated that the barn roof “just kind of sighed and fell in, like a soufflé,” The Society remained undeterred, and became more determined than before to proceed with the restoration.

Information wall with photos of the family that built the Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

The Pioneers and builders of the Round Barn

In 1989 work began in earnest to restore Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma. Volunteers performed most of the labor. Most of those volunteers were retirees like Robison so the decided to call themselves the Over-the-Hill Gang. They reconstructed the roof by replicating the same process that was believed to have been used by William Odor. And just like the original roof rafters, the job of attaching the first rafters at the top landed on Luke Robison’s shoulders.

More of the information wall with photos at the Arcadia Round Barn Oklahoma

Barn Dances

In November 1993, the National Trust for Historic Preservation honored everyone involved in the restoration of the Round Barn with a National Honor Award for outstanding craftsmanship and preservation.