Zoller-Frasier Round Barn
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Perched on a bluff about two miles south of the Mohawk River, this round dairy barn near Newville in Herkimer County dates to about 1895. It was built for Jacob Zoller, described only as a pioneer food processor from Little Falls. The barn is roughly 80 feet across, with clapboard-sided stud walls on a low mortared stone foundation, a conical roof and a round cupola. Inside, stanchions are arranged in rings around a stud-framed central silo that stands independent of the walls and roof. Light radiating rafters rest on a circular purlin, and a circular hayfork track hangs from them. The barn was recognized as an early and nearly unaltered New York example of a round barn with a central silo, and as the earliest in its thematic group to have a circular hay fork track. Its balloon framing has held up well despite decades of limited maintenance, and it still houses a dairy herd. Open meadows surround it.
Significance in brief: The barn is argued to be an early and virtually unaltered example of a round barn with a central silo in New York State. It has a self-supporting central silo, a circular stanchion layout, and the earliest circular hay fork track in its thematic group. Its balloon framing produces curved and conical forms efficiently, and its hilltop setting makes it a prominent landscape feature.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84002401, listed September 29, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Fords Bush Rd., Newville |
|---|---|
| County | Herkimer County |
| Listed | September 29, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002401 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; builder Jacob Zoller, original owner |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is stated as fair, with almost no loss of integrity. The barn continues to shelter a dairy herd and farm machinery, and its dairy use is unchanged from the original. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Within district | Lindesay Patent Rural Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 42.97248, -74.77580 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84002401.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8073570
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.