Nelson Pioneer

Nelson Barn

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In 1856, Daniel built a large barn directly across from his new brick home. He hired A.J.  Jewell to construct the building. Just as the house, the lumber used to construct the barn was cut from the Nelson timberland. The barn was constructed with timber joints and wooden pegs, which can be seen throughout the interior. A central driveway ran through the barn with cattle stanchions, horse stalls, and a granary on the west side of the center. The east side was left open to store grain. The Nelson family laid the cement floor and often hosted dances and socials in their barn. The barn also held Daniel’s whiskey still, and whiskey barrels were stored in the loft on the west side. Prohibition demanded that Daniel store his whiskey in Oskaloosa city limits and pay taxes, so he decided to quit the whiskey business and farm full time.

The Nelson Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

A Note to Photographers

Please call our Director at 641-672-2989 or email them director@nelsonpioneer.org to get permission to come take photographs of the property. This is not an open site and permission is necessary so we can let our property caretaker know.