Common Building of Barns in the 1940s

Developments and Common Features

• During this time, barns evolved into large-scale, food-producing buildings. Cattle farmers used a barn's seasonal benefits to incorporate milking booths and stations that ensured constant milk production despite the weather. Their barns included a second level that stored feed for animals that lived on the bottom level. An average, successful farm in the 1940s featured two stories that served multiple purposes. With motorized vehicles more prominent in the United States, barns were constructed large enough to house tractors, trucks and other vehicles; they also reserved space where these machines could be repaired.

Architectural Characteristics

• A common 1940s barn -- which had an A-frame roof and traditionally was painted deep red -- extended about 30 feet above the ground. Some barns were taller, though size depended on the farm's wealth. In the 1940s, Dr. Karl Wolman developed the pressure-treated wood method, improving barn construction. Barns constructed from this lumber received a longer lifespan. Tin roofing was used for further protection, as metal is resilient and non-porous. The second level was like a loft, serving as easy storage.

Cultural Impact

• In the 1940s, barns became a status symbol. Often, farmers invested more many in their barns, having them built more elaborately, and at greater expense, than their homes. A well-built barn was a symbol of a successful farm. Cultural experiences like barn dances and parties were developed with the advent of larger barns.

Additional Information

• Though most barns in the 1940s maintained the same outward appearance, their exact uses differed. With mass consumption and producing becoming a major aspect of American agriculture, barn interiors were specialized, depending on the farmer's main crop.

  Driving through the American West, if you spot large-scale, two-story barns with a standout A-frame structure, odds are, the structure was built in the 1940s or modeled off barns from this era.