Quilt Pattern: Double Nine Patch
Barn Type: Octagon shaped barn over 100 years old, Norwegian built. The lake was used as a level to build the barn.
Painted By: Stars of Carlton 4-H club

Octagon Barn
By Joe and Jerry Ratajczak

Our parents Joseph and Lydia Ratajczak bought the eight-sided octagon barn in 1957 from Gerald and Esther Brandt. We think the barn was built in the 1880’s by the Edwin Albertson Family. Before Edwin became a farmer, he was a sailor on the Great Lakes. Instead of using a spirit level, the used the horizontal plane of Lake Michigan as their guide, since the building site overlooks the lake. The farm is in the southern part of the Sandy Bay area where many of the original settlers were Norwegian families.

The octagon design was supposed to be able to withstand high winds more effectively than the traditional rectangular shapes. The stalls inside the barn were facing toward the center in a pattern similar in appearance to a wagon wheel. The small feed alley was located in the center of the barn under the hay chute which was a timesaver when feedin hay in the winter months. The roof rafters resemble the design of an umbrella.

Because of the circular design, the stalls were triangular, and ideally sized for a cow, allowing plenty of room for the cow’s hips as well as providing ample space for the farmer to do the milking. There had been 16 stalls in this barn, but they were removed in the 1960s. One of the disadvantages of this design is that is is not expandable the way rectangular barns are. Because of this, a rectangular addition was built onto the barn in the 1940s.

This barn has undergone a number of modifications and alterations over the years, but the spirit and charm remain. The octagon design was truly ahead of it’s time, and today large-scale producers are building elaborate “carousel” style parlors that are based on this wagon-wheel principle.

Quilt Pattern: Puritan Star
Barn Type: Cord wood barn.
Walls of barn are 4-5 inch diameter around cordwood and are cemented together.
Painted By: Stars of Carlton 4-H club

Cordwood Wall Barn
By Nancy LaCrosse, with thanks to Geoffrey Gyrisco, Ph.D. – Realtor, Historic, Vintage & Distinctive Properties Specialist

This farm was known as the Dufek farm, and features a barn that is a modified three bay barn dating to the latter part of the 19th century. It is constructed with a central runway, the the side bays for shocks of grain, straw, or hay an area on the east side of the barn, housing livestock, reveals stove-wood, (cordwood) set in the wall.

This use of cordwood, which was mortared in place and covered with plaster, provided insulation to the area housing animals. The roof structure consists of a purlin supported by angled braces resting on the girts. Rafters consist of alternating one long and two short poles, perhaps of tamarack from nearby woods.

The farmstead is a well preserved example of a post-World War II mid-sized commercial dairy farm.  The farm employed the technology recommended in the leading farm publications of the period.  During its operation, while slightly larger than average,it was regarded as an outstanding farm among it’s peers: attractive,well-run, and profitable.

The farmstead is located in the heart of Czech settlement in Kewaunee Co

Quilt Pattern: Tangled Stars
Barn Type: Built in 1882 by Bohemian settlers.
Painted By: Luxemburg FFA

Quilt Pattern: Hearth and Home
Barn Type: Gambrel roof barn built in
1960 by Frank and Theresa Suess.
Painted by: Four generations of family

Quilt Pattern: Star Lane
Barn Type: Bohemian built in 1900’s;
Century Farm
Painted By: Luxemburg FFA

Quilt Pattern: Winter Stars
Barn Type: Typical German barn
Painted By: Mike and Nancy LaCrosse,
Jennifer Gozdzialski and Mario Micheli

Quilt Pattern: Bull’s Eye
Barn Type: Bohemian century barn;
built around 1910.
Painted By: Pilsen Skylighters 4-H

Quilt Pattern: Flock Barn
Type: 1800’s wood peg barn
Painted By: Far View Farm Group

Quilt Pattern: Blazing Star
Barn Type: German
Painted By: Janosky Family

Quilt Pattern: Clay’s Choice
Barn Type: German; Century Farm
Painted By: Bells of Luxemburg 4-H club

Quilt Pattern: Twisting Star
Barn Type: German built in 1904 with an addition built in 1920. Century Farm.
Painted By: Three generations of the Harmann/Post family

Quilt Pattern: North Star
Barn Type: Gambrel built in 1872, the barn is 137 years old. Century Farm.
Painted By: Algoma FFA