Ralphsnyder Decagonal Barn is a historic

decagon In geometry, a decagon (from the Greek δέκα ''déka'' and γωνία ''gonía,'' "ten angles") is a ten-sided polygon or 10-gon.. The total sum of the interior angles of a simple decagon is 1440°. A self-intersecting ''regular decagon'' i ...

al shaped

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...

located near Masontown,

Preston County, West Virginia Preston County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood. The county was formed from Monongalia County in 1818 and named for Virginia Governor James P ...

. The 10-sided barn was built in 1890, and is a frame building with an unusual

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

-shaped

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

. The barn was moved to its present site in 1981, which necessitated a number of replacements of portions of the original structure and roof. It is the only 10-sided barn known to have been constructed in West Virginia. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985.

References

Polygonal barns in the United States Barns on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Infrastructure completed in 1890 Buildings and structures in Preston County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Preston County, West Virginia Barns in West Virginia Decagonal buildings {{PrestonCountyWV-NRHP-stub