Some Concrete Corn Cribs in Illinois

Now that I know what to look for, I'm finding that wood corn cribs are rather common in Illinois if you drive US highways instead of interstates. (Update: actually, they are common along interstates once you learn to look for a cupola.) Most farm buildings with a rectangular cupola on top were corn cribs. I can see the gaps between the slats when I get closer. But corn cribs made with concrete blocks are relatively rare. So far, I have spotted two.

One is along US-30 west of Shabbona, IL. I was driving eastbound so by the time I spotted and stopped the car, I was looking west with a setting sun. When we resumed our trip, we noticed the sun was casting a golden glow on the corn fields. So I turned around to catch a shot of the west side of the crib with a golden glow.

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These cribs are constructed the same way a concrete block silo is built. I watched my Grandfather's 60-foot silo being built. A row of concrete blocks is placed into position and then steel bands are put around the blocks. The closeup of the east side includes the joiners for the steel bands. A couple of socket wrenches is used to tighten the steel bands one joiner at a time. Now that I'm thinking about it, this is probably the first form of post-stressed concrete construction. The steel bands not only hold the blocks together, they resist the outward pressure of the ears when the crib is loaded.

Note the holes in the blocks to allow air circulation to dry the corn.


And I was able to get a shot of the old (picked corn stored in corn cribs) and new (combined).

The combine has an 8-row header. And I digitally zoomed in on the grain wagon. The picture to the right is at camera resolution. I was surprised that a full wagon was left out over night without a tarp. I would think dew would be an issue.

The second concrete crib was on Business US-67 north of Roseville, IL. Unfortunately, the view from the driveway is on the dark side of  the crib. But I was not going to walk into a soybean field to get a sunny-side shot.

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Update:

Jerry Krug posted
Barn found on farm near Dakota, IL off Illinois Hwy 75. This type of structure is common in this area. Photo taken July 3, 2016.

Richard Brown posted
LaSalle County

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This was taken during a trip on I-57 to take pictures of corn cribs. Unfortunately, I was running out of sunlight. But you can tell it has the same design as the other two. I have been thinking of taking US-45 instead of I-57 south of Gilman. Now I have a reason to do so to at least Buckley.

Satellite

Dick Summers posted some photos with the comment: "Between Rockford and Rochelle."
[It is the policy of this group to not give specific location information. I see the comment that was specific got deleted.]

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2, cropped

Karl Last posted
Backroads around Fithian/Muncie Illinois

This is obviously another view of the above crib.

Kathy Schluter-Krewson posted, cropped
Vermilion County backroad
Tom Fuller A little history; the original family's name was Bass, the Uof I had the cribs built in the '20s, it's listed on the national preservation list. The structure in the foreground is a scale. Off to the right is a pole barn that's beebeen converted to living quarters. I considered buying the property a few years ago. Whoever owns it now did a fabulous job of fixing up the property! Kudos!