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Progress continues to be made on developing a unique historic and park site on Lofton Avenue, a few miles south of Chisago City. The old Moody Farmstead house has been set in its location as part of a future round barn interpretive site in Chisago Lake Township South.

The deed for the entire site was recently transferred to the township, and now the hard work gets underway to create a park-historic area where people can come to learn about how this round barn was built and used, and also experience the consolidated farmstead.

In 1915 Charles Moody built the round dairy on the edge of what we know today as “Moody Lake.” The barn is 56 feet in diameter and the same span in height. Moody is descended from Elof and Eva Modig who came to Chisago County from Sweden and purchased the land where the farm thrived in 1871.

According to the National Round Barn Center, the first ever roundish barn in the U.S. belonged to George Washington. His 16-sided structure was on Dogue Run Farm near Mount Vernon. The Shakers constructed the first truly round barn in Massachusetts in 1824. Evil spirits that hide in corners, could not find shelter in a round barn.

There are only about 12 round barns remaining in Minnesota. They are disappearing because farmers can’t afford to keep them up and modern huge equipment doesn’t fit inside them.

They were economical in their time, though. For example, having all the dairy cows face the center saved time and steps when farmers fed the animals. The capacity of a circle is greater than a rectangle, with the same costs in siding, etc. Some round barns also were built with a center silo as the main support.

Sherry Stirling, County Historical Society Director, mentioned that progress on this site has come about through a cooperative effort with the county, two townships and society members all pulling together.

She said without Franconia Township’s contribution of park funds and Chisago Lake township agreeing to step in and support the project, and without the county wanting to see this happen, the farmstead could easily have disappeared.

The county commissioners a few weeks ago agreed to release portions of fees collected through the county as park acquisition surcharges on new plats.

Franconia and Chisago Lake supervisors approved using fees generated in those two townships to go toward the Moody project.

The funding made it possible for the society to acquire the 25-acre site.

The next two priority work projects at the round barn site will be to re-roof the barn and get the home secured and weatherized on its new site. (It was moved from across Lofton Avenue to consolidate the site and to make room for a new housing development access road. The developer gave the society the farmhouse)

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