Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/16/1980
NRHP Listing Date 07/08/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004541
Built ca. 1867 under the direction of local carpenter William Evers, this interesting looking structure is an unusual example of its type in Virginia and reflects the infiltration of popular architectural theories into the agricultural community of Augusta County following the Civil War. Although it was likely inspired by octagonal building styles popularized by the writer and theorist Orson Squire Fowler, the Harnsberger Octagonal Barn did not copy Fowler’s pattern-book designs directly. The builder instead combined these new ideas with more traditional local barn-building concepts, integrating the novel shape with the older bank barn form. The Harnsberger Octagonal Barn is still in regular use.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: September 28, 2022
