Round Barn in Arcadia(54)

My mom and dad loved to explore Oklahoma just like I'm doing now. They weren't necessarily museum lovers like me, but we'd go to one every once in awhile if it was close by where we were. They were nature buffs so any chance to go to a walking trail or waterfall, we were there, usually on a weekend after dad's payday. One of the reasons my dad liked to explore was photography. He was an amazing photographer. One day I'll make a post that shares his work, most of which is in the wilds of Oklahoma, but he had a camera everywhere he went including all over the US and Vietnam. Truly gifted guy. Anyway, one of those weekends in the early 80's, we came to see a barn that he had read about. It was big. It was round. It was in decay, but still worth a trip to see. So we piled in the car and headed to Arcadia which was a two hour trip. When we finally arrived, I was less than impressed but dad and mom were thrilled. When I through dad's 2000 photography slides, I'll find the trip to the Round Barn in Arcadia. Until then, I'll share the pics from when I was there.

I used to do deliveries and would pass by the Round Barn every so often. Since I didn't have time to stop, I would try to snap a pic or two out the front window, but rarely got a good one. So I finally made a trip specifically to see it. And it was super cool. There are interesting artifacts and wonderful historic photos of the area. There are photos of the Barn in various states of decay and restoration so you can easily see its decline and resurrection. The graphic posters that were on display were so informative and well put together that they told the entire story. As I talked with ShelleeGraham, I learned that she had designed them. As a former graphic designer myself, I was highly impressed!

After I meandered around the first floor for a while, I made my way up to the second floor via an outside staircase. Downstairs, I had seen a couple of pictures of what I was about to see, but it didn't prepare me for what I walked into. The ceiling of the Round Barn is utterly awe inspiring. There is a little bandstand in the center of the room, so I stepped onto it and looked strait up at the peak. It was a little disorienting and totally mesmerizing. I thought seriously about lying down and tripping out over the architecture, but I didn't. I may go back and zone out upstairs for a while. HA! The barn is free but you should chip in a few bucks to the donation box so they can stay open and get more things to enhance our experience of the Round Barn. If you can, go see it in all of its wonderful renovated glory. And, you can also be like me and get a tiny version to take home with you. See the pic below!

107 E Highway 66, Arcadia

405-396-0824

https://arcadiaroundbarn.com

Jonathan Elmore ©2025