Will County's Historic Landmarks

Will County Rural Structure Surveys

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Located in Florence Township, this farmstead contributes to the rural character of the area.  The actual farmstead property was purchased in 1864.  According to the current property owner, very little historical information is available for the property. However, the farmstead enjoys unique status as farm that has been in the Lovell Family for five generations: Oliver Lovell, George Lovell, Archie Lovell, Francis Lovell, and currently, Joan Lovell.  The exact date for the construction for buildings on this designated property is unknown; however, based upon style, the horse barn was likely built around the late 19^th – early 20^th Century.  The cow barn, corn crib, and milk house, were constructed at the turn of the 20^th century. The buildings continue to reflect their historic style.  Brief architectural history descriptions for each nominated building and structure are provided below.

Horse Barn aka Three-bay Threshing Barn circa late 19^th Century

The Three-bay Threshing barn (also called the English barn) was introduced into North America through English colonial settlement in southern New England. The English and continental European immigrants of the early 1800s introduced this barn type to the Midwest. It was originally designed as a single function barn to store or process grain and was most suitable for small-scale, subsistence farms. It is a single level, rectangular structure divided into three parts or sections, each termed a bay.  Large double doors are centered on both long sides of the structure. Hand threshing with a grain flail was done in the central bay, sometimes called the threshing bay. Following threshing, the large doors were opened to create a draft, which, during winnowing, would separate the chaff from the heavier grain, and carry it away. Flanking the central bay were the other two bays of generally equal dimensions. One was used during the fall or winter to store sheaves of harvested grain, awaiting threshing. The other bay was used for storing the threshed grain, commonly in bins, and straw, which was used as feed and bedding for horses and cattle.  Early examples had steeply pitched (over 45 degrees) gable roofs and low stone foundations. They were sided in vertical boards with small ventilation openings high on the gable ends.  Windows are largely absent, although later versions included them at animal stall locations. Gable-end sheds were a common addition.

Eventually as dairying replaced wheat production in the agricultural economy, the threshing/storage function of this barn type became less important. At first no animals were housed in the structure, although interior remodeling was often made to introduce animal stalls in one of the two side bays. This effectively reduced the grain storage and processing function and only offered shelter for a modest number of animals.  In some cases this barn type was lifted up and placed onto a raised basement, which then could house the animals, especially dairy cows. 

Cow Barn aka Cattle Barn or Feeder Barn

During the last two decades of the nineteenth century, Illinois and Iowa developed into the regional center for beef production. Farmers with rougher land, more suited to cattle than crops, raised their cattle from birth to finished beef. They fattened their stock on surplus corn, alfalfa, and feed supplements, and sold them to the rail-connected beef-processing industry in Chicago. The industry was also aided by the introduction of the refrigerated boxcar. In order to build a barn to hold cattle and hay, the feeder barn (sometimes called the hay barn) was developed. Cattle are housed and fed on the ground floor with a loft above to hold hay.

The subject cattle barn has a masonry silo adjacent to it. 

Masonry silos, constructed of hollow clay tile, brick, or concrete block, appeared in the first decades of the twentieth century. In comparison with the other two types of silos, brick silos were more difficult to construct because of the time required to erect the relatively small masonry units. There were many patents on concrete blocks for silo purposes, with some blocks curved and other finished with rock-faced building blocks. Some patented blocks had reinforcing sold with the blocks or integral with the block units.

Milk House

Milk houses were constructed following the governmental regulation of cooling standards.  The milk houses’ signature characteristic form is found in its rectangular shape and gable roof. Generally, the milk house was located near the barn, but not adjacent to it due to sanitary reasons.  The subject milk house is frame; however, later milk houses were of masonry construction.

Corn crib aka Crib Barn

Crib barns are simple structures formed of pens or cribs that have a space between the cribs for implement storage. There are two basics types: crib barns with the gable or roofline parallel to the cribs, and transverse crib barns with the roofline perpendicular to the pens. The configuration of crib barns developed from practical limitations and needs, such as the height to which a scoopful of corn could be pitched from a wagon (which dictated the bin height) and the size of farm equipment (which dictated the spacing between bins). Later crib barns have mechanical elevators housed in a small projecting cupola at the ridge of the crib barn roof.

Location: Florence Township
Historic Name: Oliver Lovell Farmstead
Common Name:  Lovell Farmstead
Date of Establishment (Significance): 1864-1920
Date of Designation: July 16, 2009

 * This landmark is located on private property.  Permission must be granted by the property owner to view the landmark in its entirety.

 

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