-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Built around 1920, this unique barn is often the hub of activity at Twin Lakes Bible Camp.

TWIN LAKES — Throughout its nearly 70-year history, Twin Lakes Bible Camp in Calhoun County hasn’t shied away from doing big things. Consider its historic round barn, which became part of the camp in 2003.

Built around 1920, this unique barn had stood for decades on a farm 1.5 miles west of the camp. The barn was built by Dr. Charles Knapp and housed dairy cattle and Percheron work horses in years past.

The barn was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1986. By the early 2000s, Milton Hines, the barn’s owner, said Twin Lakes Bible Camp could have the historic building if they were willing to move it. “I prayed a lot about it,” said Joel Rude, who served as the camp’s executive director from 1991 to 2005. “The camp was growing, and we did need to add more buildings.”

Still, the old barn was a daunting prospect. The 60-foot-diameter structure needed a lot of pricey repairs, including a new roof. Yet, a message of “don’t resist the ag” resonated with Rude. He credits God for giving him the vision of how the round barn could become an integral part of Twin Lakes Bible Camp.

The barn reflects a unique period of Iowa’s ag history. Of the approximately 200,000 barns built in Iowa through the decades, only 250 were round (including true-round barns like the one at TLBC, octagonal barns and other multi-sided barns). About 74 of Iowa’s round barns remain standing today, according to the Iowa Barn Foundation.

The largest surge in Iowa round barn construction came around 1910-1920 after various colleges, including Iowa State, promoted these barns for dairy operations. The circular, interior layout with a central silo promised a more efficient workflow. Round barns were also touted for greater structural stability.

The enthusiasm for these barns was short-lived, though. Many of the efficiency claims were largely overstated, plus these benefits were offset by more complicated, expensive construction methods required to build round barns. The era of round barn construction ended in the 1920s.

As the Bible camp prepared to give its round barn a new lease on life, volunteers helped remove old, rotten hay from the haymow and manure from the main level. Paul Iverson, a master craftsman who owned God’s Wood in Lake City, built a new cupola for the barn. He and his sons Micah and Seth re-roofed the barn and added new cedar shingles, plus the old purlins were replaced with new lumber.

“I love a challenge, and this barn was an interesting project,” said Iverson, who noted that he and his boys used a lot of nails as they worked on the barn. “Barns are pretty amazing.”

When a local farmer offered a stand of cottonwood trees to provide lumber for the barn’s restoration, Charlie Ahlrichs of Pocahontas milled the wood into boards to repair the haymow floor. All these major repairs had to be completed before the barn could be moved. In addition, the old concrete silo in the middle of the barn’s interior had to be removed, along with dairy stanchions and livestock troughs.

Heavy rains in the spring of 2003 delayed crews from pouring the concrete slab for the barn at Twin Lakes Bible Camp. “Sometimes as we worked through this entire project, I did wonder if we had bitten off more than we could chew,” Rude said.

By mid-summer 2003, however, everything was ready for the big move on a Saturday in July 2003.

“We wanted to make this an event,” Rude said.

About 250 to 300 people watched the process. A TV station from Sioux City filmed a news segment about the barn.

“It looked like a spaceship hovering above the cornfields,” said Rude, referring to the 61-foot-tall round barn heading toward its new home.

The move went smoothly. After new wiring and other projects were complete, the round barn was ready for its next phase of service. Today, it functions as a wedding venue, a gathering space and a hub for Twin Lakes Bible Camp’s Pumpkinfest event each fall. The barn remains an eye-catching attraction along the Twin Lakes Trail.

When Rude has returned to the camp through the years, he’s always inspired by the story of the round barn. “I like to go into the haymow and just admire the architecture. It’s like a cathedral on the prairie,” he said. “I’m so grateful this project happened. It’s an illustration of God’s purposes and providence.”