The Barns of the

Meyers Farmstead

Historic District

The Meyers Farmstead Historic District, designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, is situated in the southeast corner of the park. The district contains the main agricultural outbuildings and the surrounding site from the Meyers family’s former farmstead. The original farmhouse is directly to the east of the barns and is not part of the historic farmstead.

The farmstead structures preserved in Pleasant Grove Heritage Park reflect the agricultural history of Lisbon and Iowa, showcasing the various technological upgrades and repairs made over the decades.

Spring 2026 update:

While the barns are not open for interior tours at this time, important reconstruction work will begin this spring to stabilize the foundations and structural beams for the future.

A peaceful rural scene featuring a pond with a rocky shoreline on the left, lush green grass, several trees, and white farm buildings with silos in the background under a partly cloudy blue sky.

The Gabled Banked Basement Barn

The large gabled barn or “banked barn” is a Pennsylvania-type barn and was built around 1872, reflecting the Lisbon area’s Pennsylvania Dutch and German agricultural heritage.

This barn has a ramp on the north side and an addition on the west side. This barn housed hay, machinery, horses, milking operation, livestock, and feed bunks.

Following a tornado in 1908, the barn’s basement was enclosed and remodeled to include a modern dairy with an area for milk tanks.

The dairy was operational until about 1968.

A white wooden barn with small windows on a grassy field under a blue sky with white clouds.
Old wooden barn with a weathered white exterior, multiple small windows, a door slightly ajar, and steps leading up to the entrance, situated on grassy land.
A farm scene featuring a wooden barn with a metal roof, a cylindrical silo, several parked vehicles, and a white tarp or plastic sheet on the ground. Trees surround the area.
A white farm barn with small windows and a sloped roof, surrounded by grass and with silos in the background under a blue sky.
A rustic barn with white wooden planks on the upper part and stone on the lower part, decorated with a holiday wreath, and a large tree in front.
A large white barn with a gray metal roof, decorated with a green wreath with red accents, situated in a snowy rural landscape under a partly cloudy sky.
Wooden barn door with diagonal braces, partially open, on a stone building exterior.
Interior of an unfinished wooden barn with exposed beams, siding, and a dirt floor, illuminated by sunlight filtering through gaps in the walls and roof.
Interior of an old, abandoned wooden boat with stacked wood and scaffolding.
Interior of an old, rustic barn with wooden walls, small windows, and construction materials scattered inside.
Sunlight coming through a row of old, dirty windows in an attic or attic-like space with dark, worn wooden beams and paneling.
A white barn with a metal roof on a grassy farm landscape, surrounded by trees and a white fence.
A group of people gathered inside an old wooden barn with weathered walls and exposed beams, some standing near the open doorway looking outside, where green trees and a building are visible.
A group of people inside an old, wooden barn with an open large door. The barn's interior has weathered wooden walls and floor, with sunlight streaming in from outside. The group appears to be on a tour or listening to a guide.

The Silo

The concrete silo, more than likely built in the 1910s after the 1908 tornado, was used to store silage or grass feed for dairy cows.

There is a unique painted diamond pattern around the top of the silo.

A white barn with a weathered exterior and a metal roof, adjacent to a large, rusty cylindrical silo, on a grassy area under a clear blue sky.
An old white wooden barn with peeling paint and broken wood pieces on the ground in front, beside a tall, rusty grain silo under a cloudy sky.
Close-up view of a concrete building wall with metal rails attached, some of which are rusted, and broken glass patches on the wall against a clear blue sky.
Close-up of a weathered metal silo and a wooden barn with a metal roof, under an overcast sky.

The Gabled Feeder/Hay Barn

The Gabled Feeder/Hay Barn was constructed in 1908 to replace a cattle barn that was destroyed by the tornado, with materials salvaged from the wreckage.

A weathered white barn with a metal roof on a grassy hill, surrounded by trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
A white wooden barn with a group of sheep and possibly goats standing in front of it on a dirt ground. There are trees surrounding the barn and a cloudy sky overhead.
An old, weathered wooden barn with a rusty metal roof in a rural setting, surrounded by trees and a wooden fence.
A rural farm scene with a gray barn, leafless trees, a silo, and two horses grazing in the field on a clear winter day with a light dusting of snow on the ground.
A green grassy field with a few young trees, a cluster of mature trees, a white barn, and a water tower in the distance, under a partly cloudy sky.
Red farm tractor parked on green grass in front of a weathered white wooden barn with a sloped roof and blue sky
A group of people is inside a rustic wooden barn, listening to a person in a light blue shirt and black cap give a presentation or speech. The barn has exposed wooden beams and walls, with sunlight streaming in from the left side.
A rural farm scene with white barns, leafless trees, a metal silo, and a grassy area, under a partly cloudy sky.
A rural scene with a plowed field in the foreground and several old wooden barns and houses in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A rural scene with green grass, trees, and several white farm buildings or barns, some with dirt patches and fences visible.

The Large Hog House/Corn Crib

The combination corn crib/hog house is an uncommon survivor of this type of outbuilding and reflects the hog-feeding operation on this farm.

This structure, featuring a basement level for hogs and an upper level for corn storage, is one of only two known to still be standing in Linn County.

An old white wooden barn on a grassy field with a gravel ramp in front, showing weathered wood and a brick foundation, and another larger barn in the background.
Frosty white barn with wooden siding, surrounded by frosted trees and a barbed wire fence on a foggy winter day.
A white wooden barn on a brick foundation with a sloped metal roof, situated on a grassy landscape.
An old, weathered barn with wooden siding and stone foundation. The wood is gray and worn, with some planks broken or missing. The barn has small boarded-up openings near the bottom and plants growing around its base.
An old wooden barn with peeling white paint, elevated on stone piers, with a weathered wooden fence and lush green grass in the foreground. A large leafy tree and a white house are visible in the background.
Old weathered white barn on a grassy field with a tree on the left and a cloudy, foggy sky in the background.
Two white wooden barns on a farm with cloudy sky and leafless trees.

The Small Hog House (no longer standing)

The combination corn crib/hog house was torn down in 2018 due to poor condition. This type of outbuilding reflects the hog-feeding operation on this farm and featured a basement level for hogs and an upper level for corn storage.

Two white wooden barns on a grassy field under a blue sky with a few clouds, with one barn on stone foundation and small windows.
A small weathered white barn with a metal roof, elevated on stone foundation, surrounded by green grass and trees, in a quiet residential area.
Two old white wooden barns with stone foundations on a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Old white wooden barn with a stone foundation, some boards are broken or missing, under a blue sky.
Three white wooden barns with stone foundations and a grassy area between them under a blue sky.
Two rustic barns on a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Two rustic barns on a grassy hill under a partly cloudy blue sky, with a row of trees in the background.
Old wooden barn with a stone foundation in a rural setting, with green grass, trees, and a partly cloudy sky
An old weathered wooden barn with a stone foundation, surrounded by green grass and trees on a sunny day.
Two weathered wooden barns on a grassy field under a partly cloudy sky.
Two old wooden barns with white metal roofs in a grassy field, trees in the background, and a partly cloudy sky above.
A rural scene with a pond in the foreground, green grass, several trees, white farm buildings, and silos under a blue sky with some clouds.
A weathered wooden fence next to a stone pillar, with an old metal tool hanging on the stone, in front of a white wooden building with multiple windows.

The Machine Shed (no longer standing)

The machine shed was required to be town down in 1991 to make way for the Meyers Meadow roadway.

A weathered wooden barn with a white roof and a metal ramp leaning against it, situated on a grassy field under a partly cloudy blue sky.
A rustic barn with weathered red wood siding and a white metal roof, situated in an open field with a concrete wall in the foreground.
An old wooden barn with a snow-covered roof and an outdoor staircase on the side, standing in a rural setting with bare trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Old weathered barn in a rural field with leafless trees, a silo in the background, and a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A rural farmland scene with several weathered barns and trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
Interior of a wooden barn with exposed beams and a loft platform.
Interior of an old barn or wooden structure with exposed wooden beams, rafters, and walls, showing a rustic, unfinished appearance.
Wooden structure under construction with a white roof, ladder inside, and a person working on the left side, outdoors on grassy ground.
A wooden barn under construction with a man standing inside and a dog in front. A vintage pickup truck is parked near the barn. The background includes leafless trees and a metal building.
A rural farm scene showing a damaged barn roof, a tractor, and farm equipment beside trees and a white wooden building.
Remnants of a collapsed structure, possibly a deck or porch, with broken wood and debris on the ground, with plants growing around it.
A farm scene with a tall barn, a silo, and several trucks and cars parked nearby. A large white tarp covers a section of the ground.

June 7, 1908 Tornado

The 1908 tornado came from the southwest and destroyed a lot of the barns, as well as the power plant to the south of the barns.

Black and white photo of a damaged farm or rural scene with debris, fallen structures, and a partially collapsed building in the background.
Old black-and-white photo of a farmyard with damaged buildings, broken carts, and scattered debris.
Black and white photograph of a landscape with damaged houses, debris, and a group of people in the distance, possibly children.
Black and white historic photo of a demolished building with debris, debris, bricks, and remnants of machinery scattered on the ground, and several men inspecting the site.
A black and white photo showing a partially destroyed barn with damaged walls and roof, debris scattered in the foreground, and trees in the background.
Black and white photo of a rural area with damaged buildings, construction activity, and some trees in the background.
Black and white photo of damaged wooden houses, with debris and fallen structures in the foreground and trees in the background.
Black and white photo showing damaged houses and debris in a residential area with large trees in the background.
Black and white photograph of a construction site with workers standing around debris, construction machinery, and partially built structures, with handwritten notes on the right side.
A vintage black and white photo of a rural area with dilapidated wooden houses, debris, and a man standing on a small bridge or platform near the houses. The ground in the foreground appears to be plowed or muddy.
Black and white photo of a damaged building with debris scattered on the ground, a fallen utility pole, and workers in the background, likely after a tornado or storm.
Historical photograph of a tornado wrecking power house in Lebanon, Missouri, with workers and debris.
Black and white historical photograph of a damaged wooden building with a group of people gathered outside, some sitting and some standing, on a hilly terrain with debris scattered around.

Reports

Field Services Report by Align Architecture & Planning (2021)
Structural Observation Report by Hooting Coyote, LLC (2021)
Preservation Study of Historic Meyers Farmstead by OPN Architects (2024)