Their Driveway Runs Through Stone Barn

Their driveway runs through stone barn AG WORLD Ag World 16-6-17 If you ever visit Gary and Debby Anderson, near Chatfield, Minn., you'll have to drive through one of their barns to get to their house. The old stone barn is a local landmark that was built in the late 1880's from quarried limestone. It's 100 ft. long and 40 ft. high on the south end. The north end is built into the side of a hill and has a ramp door-way. A 12-ft. dia. round stone silo stands inside the barn next to the driveway. "It was built over a 22-year span by Thomas Ferguson who moved herein 1871. He lived in a log home at first and was hired by the county to build a lot of bridges and school houses, and even a church. He also built houses and stone barn foundations for neighbors who finished the barns off with wood," says Debby. "Ferguson built the barn in two sections. The two-story north half and house was constructed first. The south half is three stories high and was completed in 1412, according to a date stone on the barn. "Ferguson laid every stone in the barn himself and added a simple gable roof. He died in 1927. The 2-story house was never finished. The limestone was quarried in Iowa and shipped by train to Chatfield." For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Debby Anderson, Rt. 1, Box 152, Chatfield, Minn. 55923.

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