The Indiana Barn Foundation is hosting a Historic Barn Tour in Shelby County on Saturday, September 14th that includes a 12-sided barn built in 1910 that is being restored by the foundation.
The self-guided driving tour will feature the Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn at County Road 700 South at 400 East near Waldron, the site of this year’s Learning Lab. You’ll be able to learn the results of the recently completed assessment and laser scanning by Trillum Dell/Firmitas and better understand what it will take to save this community landmark.
This unique barn is currently listed on the Indiana Landmarks “Ten Most Endangered” list of buildings on the brink of extinction and too important to lose.
The Rudicel-Montgomery was borne out of the interest of farmers building octagonal barns in the late nineteenth century, boosted by arguments that they were sturdier and more cost-effective to build than rectangular barns and that their layout was more efficient for feeding livestock. The interest spread to more multi-sided forms, and between 1850 and 1936, 67 polygonal barns were built in Indiana, though round barns eventually outpaced them in popularity.In 1910, Shelby County farmer George Rudicel worked with local carpenters Roy and Earl Henderson to build his polygonal barn, using the lower level to house livestock and the upper level to store hay and straw.
A 1990’s survey of the state’s round and polygonal barns for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places found that only 10 of 18 known 12-sided barns still stood, including the Rudicel-Montgomery Barn.
In 2024 the barn is mostly vacant, in need of much needed repairs. Indiana Barn Foundation and Indiana Landmarks funded a study to assess its condition and rehabilitation needs. As the number of historic barns in Indiana shrinks, the Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn’s unusual design and heritage make it a rural landmark worth saving.
The tour will also include several barns at the Meltzer Farm, including their English barn, sawmill barn, log buildings, 1875 brick schoolhouse, and additional historic farm buildings.
Six additional privately-owned barns will include a flower farm, a cattle farm, and two former dairy farms.
Food trucks will dot the route and you’ll find additional fun things to see and do including shopping for barn quilts and barn calendar postcards, a U-Pick pumpkin patch at Meltzer Farm and an invitation to stop by Harker Orchard for cider and other goodies.
The tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Advance tickets are $15 for Indiana Barn Foundation members or $20 for non-members. Children 16 and under are free. Tickets may be purchased online until 5 p.m. on September 13th at the member/non-member price. Tickets the day of the tour will be $20 for all and available in-person at Lewis Creek Baptist Church, 1400 E 600 S, Waldron, IN, which will serve as the day-of tour headquarters. Those who pre-register should stop by the church on the day of the event to pick up a tour map and receive their wrist bands.
For more information and to register, visit IndianaBarns.org.
