Corson Emminger Round Barn

The Corson Emminger Round Barn near Watertown, South Dakota, United States, is a round barn that was built during 1909-1910 by Corson Emminger. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]

Corson Emminger Round Barn
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The barn in July 2013
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Nearest city	Watertown, South Dakota
Coordinates	44.86128°N 97.10946°W / 44.86128; -97.10946
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1909-10
Built by	Emminger, Corson
Architectural style	Round barn
NRHP reference No.	78002546[1]
Added to NRHP	March 30, 1978

It is "extremely tall", on a 50 feet (15 m) diameter base. It is built of concrete blocks. It has a double-pitched roof topped by a polygonal cupola with a conical top. It used to have ramps leading to two large entrances on the second level.[2]

There are few round barns in South Dakota; Emminger may have brought the idea of building one from Wisconsin, his native state, from which he arrived in the early 1900s. He bought the farm property in 1905 for $6,000, and he built the barn at cost of $1,500 to use as a dairy barn. He moved into Watertown in 1914 and to California in 1920. Jacob Krull bought the farm for $13,600 and owned it, with exception of one year, until 1943.[2]

Its National Register nomination asserts it is "truly a landmark in South Dakota", noting that it is located on one of the state's main highways.[2]

It is located on U.S. Route 81, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of parallel Interstate 29.[3]