The Round barn type, which was typically used to house dairy cows, was chosen for numerous reasons over a more traditional rectangular barn. The circular form uses less building material, has a greater volume which can be free of interior supports and was praised as being a more “efficient” layout since the farmer could work in a continuous direction and with an economy of motion (NPS Preservation Brief 20 and Arthur Hart, Barns of the West). Despite even George Washington owning a round barn, the distinctive type never caught on as the standard.
Spokane County has only one listed round barn, the Middleburg Barn, which was originally used as a dairy barn around 1916.
