The round barn west of Pittsfield.

Round barn west of Pittsfield.

The Fourteen Sided Barn west of Pittsfield Illinois was built in 1913 for $5000 by H Clayton Kibler of Pittsfield. The barn was built on the 320 acre High View Farm owned by Charles L Willsey (estate of B J Willsey). Previously on the site were two barns that burned on July 29th 1913. It was supposed the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of the 1913 hay cutting that had been curing and then become heated. The fire caused about $2500 worth of property damage which also included a corn crib and some damage to the nearby garage. The automobile inside the garage escaped injury. The loss was covered by $2000 insurance. Mr Kibler was given the contract to build the new barn in October 1913. The plan was for a circular or octagonal shaped barn, 60 feet in diameter with an 8-foot story below and a loft above that would hold eighty tons of hay. Just what the other plans were in October 1913 for the new barn were not known but it was thought that it would be a whaling big building. Mr Kibler built other barns, homes, and buildings in the area including the K P Opera House in 1894 (currently the Reach Out Center and Two Rivers Regional Council). In January 1914 Mr and Mrs Charles Willsey hosted the second of a series of dances in the finished barn. The house was built in 1897.