The Hayward Round barn located 3.5 miles north of Dysart on Hwy V37 pictured on Sunday, Sept. 10. Both the restored 1916 barn and nearby corn crib will be open to the public for tours this weekend as part of the Iowa Barn Foundation’s fall all-state barn tour. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

DYSART – The Hayward Round Barn located north of Dysart is one of 72 barns – and one of a record eight round barns – to be featured this weekend on the Iowa Barn Foundation’s 2023 fall all-state barn tour.

The self-guided tour is set to take place Saturday, Sept.16 and Sunday, Sept. 17 at barns throughout the state. Most barns including the Hayward Round Barn will be open for touring both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The tour highlights barns that have received matching restoration grants from the Iowa Barn Foundation as well as barns that have received an Award of Distinction for restoration by the owner.

The Hayward Barn, located 3.5 miles north of Dysart, is owned by 1963 Geneseo Consolidated School District alumna Loie Hayward who grew up on the farm, according to a profile published by the Des Moines Register in 2015. Loie inherited both the round brick dairy barn and farmstead from her parents, the late Searl and Myrtle Hayward who stopped farming in 1979.

Restoration work on the Hayward Round Barn was completed in 2014. Loie told the Register the restoration cost about $58,000 including matching grants from the Iowa Barn Foundation.

The restored 1916 Hayward Round Barn located north of Dysart on the farmstead of Loie Hayward – the great-grandaughter of the barn’s original owner, Charles Hayward – pictured on Sunday, Sept. 10. The barn is one of 72 open to the public this weekend as part of the Iowa Barn Foundation’s annual fall tour. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

According to the Iowa Barn Foundation, Loie’s great-grandfather Charles Hayward originally purchased the farm in 1881 before building the round barn in 1916. The barn is 66 feet in diameter and was most likely constructed by Johnston Brothers Clay Works of Fort Dodge.

During this weekend’s tour, visitors are welcome to walk around inside the barn which is located at 1520 Hwy V37, as well as an adjacent corn crib.

Other nearby barns featured on this year’s tour include the Frost Barn in Black Hawk County. Built in 1877, the Frost Barn was renovated in 2018 and received an Award of Distinction. While the barn was originally used for horses and milk cows, it now houses sheep. The barn is located northwest of La Porte City at 1745 E Eagle Rd, Waterloo.

A description and map of all 72 barns included on the 2023 fall all-state barn tour is available on the Iowa Barn Foundation’s website, https://iowabarnfoundation.org

Iowa Barn Foundation

Founded in 1997, the Iowa Barn Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Iowa’s rural agricultural buildings. Its primary mission is to educate the public about the significance and importance of Iowa’s barns through both its eponymous magazine and barn tours. Funds raised by the organization are used to provide barn rehabilitation or restoration matching grants to help property owners restore their barns.