Minnesota, Olmsted County, George Stoppel Farmstead, Barn
(Photograph is the north elevation- long façade, and west elevation.) The barn with board and batten siding, gable roof, and limestone walled lower level was built by George Stoppel around 1861. Stoppel, a German immigrant, built the barn on the order of a Pennsylvania barn- also called German barn. Those types of barns were typically built into an earthen bank and are characterized by their massive size. Unlike the typical Pennsylvania barn, Stoppel's does not have the cantilevered floor that extends on one side above the lower level. Stoppel's barn with doors on both sides of the lower level probably improved the utility of the barn by increasing opportunity for movement in out of the barn, both by livestock and people. The lower floor was divided into stalls and pens for livestock. The upper floor was divided into granaries and space for storing hay and straw. Outside access to the upper level was gained through a banked ramp on one end with sliding door and ground level sliding door on the other end. The large doors provided easy access for wagons and implements. The George Stoppel Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. The barn is a contributing property.
Minnesota, Olmsted County, George Stoppel Farmstead, Barn
(Photograph is the north elevation- long façade, and west elevation.) The barn with board and batten siding, gable roof, and limestone walled lower level was built by George Stoppel around 1861. Stoppel, a German immigrant, built the barn on the order of a Pennsylvania barn- also called German barn. Those types of barns were typically built into an earthen bank and are characterized by their massive size. Unlike the typical Pennsylvania barn, Stoppel's does not have the cantilevered floor that extends on one side above the lower level. Stoppel's barn with doors on both sides of the lower level probably improved the utility of the barn by increasing opportunity for movement in out of the barn, both by livestock and people. The lower floor was divided into stalls and pens for livestock. The upper floor was divided into granaries and space for storing hay and straw. Outside access to the upper level was gained through a banked ramp on one end with sliding door and ground level sliding door on the other end. The large doors provided easy access for wagons and implements. The George Stoppel Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. The barn is a contributing property.