Spring Hill Ranch Barn

Spring Hill Ranch Barn Podcasts -- Dial 620-805-3185 to access. After selecting the desired podcast, press 1 to rewind, 2 to pause/resume, 3 to fast forward, and # to stop. Press *0 to leave comments.

• Press 301 for Spring Hill Ranch Barn Introduction
• Press 302 for Spring Hill Ranch Barn Beginnings
• Press 303 for Main Floor
• Press 304 for Lower Floor
• Press 305 for Upper Floor
• Press 306 for Stone Corrals

Lithograph of massive three-story limestone barn showing double header windmill.

KS Picture Book

Introduction - Costing approximately $15,000 to construct, the large limestone barn is the focal point of the ranch’s cattle activities. The barn remains one of the largest historic limestone barns in Kansas, 60 feet wide by 110 feet long, containing approximately 19,000 square feet of floor space over three floors. The lower floor was set up as stables for cattle and horses. The main floor stored hay, wagons, and other equipment. The upper floor was used for hay and grain storage and was large enough to accommodate entire teams of horses and wagons. These wagons entered the upper floor by driving up one ramp and could exit by driving out either ramp.A large 2-head, 30-foot diameter windmill was at one time attached to the barn and could generate up to 12 horsepower to grind grain and drive other equipment. However, high Kansas winds threatened to tear it down, forcing Stephen topermanently dismantle it in 1884. An artist’s rendering of the Spring Hill Ranch done in 1887, draws the windmill back into its original place between the two upper level ramps.

Inside barn with wood floors and limestone walls. Grain grinding machinery, grain chute, grain auger, and other equipment visible.

NPS

Main Floor - The main floor of the barn was used to store wagons, harnesses, and other equipment and vehicles useful on the Spring Hill Ranch. In the 1940s the barn was modified to accommodate modern uses. On the western side of the barn, a large auger was installed to move grain and feed into four 1000 bushel bins on the upper floor. On the eastern side of the barn, steel I-beams were installed to strengthen and support the upper floor and these new storage bins. Smaller augers were installed to move grain into feed trucks that would back into the barn through the eastern door. The flooring of the main floor was also strengthened to support these heavier vehicles.

Limestone corral fences used to separate animals.

NPS

Stone Corrals - Stone corral walls enclose space to the south and west of the barn to contain cattle during roundups. These walls were reconstructed to an original appearance by stone masons from Lexington, Kentucky using traditional dry stone building methods and techniques. No mortar is used to adhere the stones to one another. Only the sheer weight and friction between the thousands of stones holds the walls together.

Stalls, hay, wheelbarrow, and leather harnesses make the lower level of the barn a usable space.

NPS

Animal Stalls and Tack Room - The lower floor of the Spring Hill Ranch barn was a stable area and could accommodate cattle, horses, and other livestock. A tack room to store leather harness, saddles, and a grain bin for oats is located on the north wall. The hopper for the large modern grain auger is also on the lower floor.

Interior of the top floor of the barn showing historic machinery being stored.

NPS

Top Floor Activities and Uses - The upper floor of the barn was used by Stephen to store hay and grain. The exterior ramps would allow a team of horses to pull a wagon filled with loose hay or grain to be off loaded in the top floor of the barn. The barn was so large, the wagon could enter using one ramp and exit using the second ramp. Later ranch owners would also use the upper floor for farm machinery storage. In the 1940s, four large 1000 bushel grain bins were installed in the upper floor, which took up the entire middle section. Remnants of the former windmill can also be seen in the rafters of the barn’s roof.