Barn in Willa Cather's Town Needs New Roof
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | July 21, 2009
Starke Round Barn outside Red Cloud, Nebraska
Credit: Lizabeth Rasser
One of Nebraska's most unusual barns, the 106-year-old Starke Round Barn located in Willa Cather's hometown of Red Cloud, needs a new roof if it's to last another century.
Privately owned by the Rasser family since 1929, the massive three-story barn has become a popular gathering place in recent years, hosting Memorial Day celebrations, chili cookoffs, concerts, and, of course, tours for visitors. The next event, Septemberfest, is just two months away. "We're not making a ton of money at these things, but we're raising awareness and letting people know we need help," says Lizabeth Rasser, who organizes the barn's events.
Rasser has formed a limited-liability company to raise money for the Starke Round Barn. She estimates that it will cost between $50,000 and $100,000 to replace the 128-foot-diameter roof.
The first restoration of the barn was completed in the early 1930s, according to Marcelene Krueger, who watched her father replace the roof, windows, and nails, then paint the enormous structure. "It was a momentous job," she says. "It still looks good."
Rasser, who continues to focus on securing state grants, acknowledges, "We're desperate. We've got to find a way to get a roof on that place. There's no way we can afford to do what needs to be done."
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Comments
Submitted by Heritage Nebraska at: July 23, 2009
Thank you National Trust for sharing this story with Preservation Nation! The barn was named in May as one of Nebraska's Fading Places for 2009 and is an important part of our state's agricultural and architectural history.