Round Barn celebration to mark milestone
ARCADIA — A free hot dog meal, live music and games for the kids are on tap as the Arcadia Historical and Preservation Society celebrates the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the Arcadia Round Barn.
An open house is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and will include a 2 p.m. welcome ceremony to introduce special guests, including descendants of barn restorer Luke Robison and barn builders William Odor and J.H. Keely.
Darren Robison, 56, of Midwest City, was a teenager when his “Granddaddy” Luke Robison and fellow retired carpenters undertook the restoration of the barn, which had fallen into disrepair and had been transferred from private ownership to that of the historical society, a news release stated. As a student at the University of Central Oklahoma, he drove from Edmond to help with the repairs.
“We jacked up the barn with massive 30-ton jacks just to get it level,” Darren Robison recalled.
The barn was built in 1898 on Odor’s farm. The town of Arcadia was founded by Odor and other landowners in 1902 after the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad was built to the south of the barn, according to a news release. A dirt road designated as State Highway 7 was built between the barn and the railroad tracks in 1914, and in 1926 the stillunpaved road became U.S. 66.
More than 30,000 people annually visit the Round Barn, which has been a museum since the restoration was completed in April 1992. The barn hosts live music offered every weekend, and the loft is frequently rented for weddings and other social functions.
The barn is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free, but donations are accepted for maintenance of the barn and grounds.
For more information about the open house, call 405-396-2286.