{"nrhp_refnum":"82004541","name":"Harnsberger Octagonal Barn","other_names":["Mt. Meridian Octagonal Barn"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 256 and VA 865","address_restricted":false,"city":"Grottoes","county":"Augusta County","state":"VA","lat":38.26226529100006,"lon":-78.86455351699993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A frame octagonal barn built ca. 1867 on the west bank of a field overlooking Middle River near Mount Meridian, north of Route 256 in Augusta County, Virginia, for Robert Harnsberger.","why_significant":"The barn is possibly a unique example of its type in Virginia. It shows how popular architectural ideas, here Orson Fowler's octagon mode, entered the vernacular building traditions of rural Augusta County after the Civil War. Builders combined the octagonal shape with the local bank barn form.","narrative":"This frame octagonal barn sits on the west bank of a field overlooking Middle River, west of Mount Meridian in Augusta County. Robert Samuel Harnsberger acquired the farm in 1867 and had it built soon afterward. Local carpenters struggled with the eight-sided plan, and William Evers of Centerville was called in to complete it. The design drew on Orson Fowler's 1853 book promoting octagonal buildings, but it did not copy his layouts. Instead it blended the new shape with the Valley of Virginia bank barn tradition, with a raised main floor entered through sliding doors, hay storage beside the wagon floor, and a forebay giving access to the cattle stalls below. Harnsberger likely knew the style from his brother's octagonal house two miles away. The barn is considered possibly unique in Virginia. It has been used for agriculture throughout its life and was restored in 1978, when new siding and roofing were added and the cupola had already been cut down.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"William Evers","architectural_style":"Octagon mode (inspired by Orson Fowler), combined with the bank barn form","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used for agriculture since construction; restored in 1978 with aluminum siding and a tin roof added; the form lists it as occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.508928-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/6796/41679640/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004541.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004541/4374956aeb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004541/4374956aeb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jack Boucher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harnsberger_Octagonal_Barn_VA_HABS1v.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jack Boucher</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harnsberger_Octagonal_Barn_VA_HABS1v.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679640","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harnsberger_Octagonal_Barn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5659800"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/augusta-county/harnsberger-octagonal-barn-82004541/"}