Algie Shivers and the Round Barns of Vernon County:

An Essay on Wisconsin’s Black History

By Jeff Galligan Ed.D.

Cover photo and text by Jeff Galligan

As a birder and outdoor enthusiast, I have been fortunate to travel across Wisconsin in pursuit of my avian friends. It is always interesting that the more I travel about the state, the more I find there is to experience and know.  Birding provides opportunities to see and experience so much I would otherwise not have discovered. In many ways, it has become a “gateway” passion for me that has led to so much more than I would have ever expected. Whether it is the simple joy of watching a Virginia Rail and her chicks venture out of the marsh and into the open while experiencing a beautiful sunrise at Horicon Marsh, or a sunset in Walworth County with a fleeting glimpse of a Chuck-Will’s-Widow in the fading summer light, birding has led to so many encounters that would otherwise have never occurred.

While traveling and discovering Wisconsin I have become quite interested in Black history in our state. As I have become more aware of the significant histories that span four centuries, it seems like a no-brainer that this history would be taught in secondary schools throughout the state and be more readily known by children and adults alike. I have been equal parts embarrassed and concerned to discover historical aspects of Black history in Wisconsin that should be widely known. I have been awed to begin learning of this long, varied, and complex history; one which dates to the 1700’s and maybe as early as 1725, when the first record of an African American in Wisconsin was described when members of the Fox nation were said to have massacred four Frenchmen and “a negro.” (1)

One of my favorite geographical regions of Wisconsin to visit is the Driftless Area, a large peninsula of land, mostly located in Southwest Wisconsin, that went unglaciated throughout the last glacial period 10,000 years ago. The word “driftless” refers to the lack of glacial drifts (2). Adding to its allure and beauty, the steep limestone hills covered in mixed-deciduous forests, the coulees, and the abundance of natural cold-water springs create some of the most amazing and sought-after trout fly fishing in the world.

I especially love to travel the Driftless Area in the fall, driving wherever the road takes me with no true destination in mind, stopping to take scenic pictures when a view so moves me or the blazing colors of the turning leaves are exceptionally vivid and breathtaking. The true uniqueness of this area never fails to affect me, and I am recharged when immersing myself in this beautiful landscape. People who see Wisconsin as dairy farms on flat terrain have most definitely never experienced the Driftless Area.  

In 2019, during one of my trips to Vernon County, I was in Viroqua and discovered the Vernon County Historical Society. This organization introduced me to the history of the round barns of Wisconsin, with the largest concentration of them in Vernon County. I was even more intrigued that many of the round barns in Vernon County were built by an African American man by the name of Alga “Algie” Shivers (1889-1978). Thus began my love affair with these intriguing barns that hold a specific spot in the agricultural history of Wisconsin and the United States. Using a Vernon County Historical Society map of the remaining 10 round barns in Vernon County I set off to view and photograph them.

On that trip, I was only able to see about half of them and only one (the Cunningham-Cina barn), was attributed to Algie at that time. My initial foray to Vernon County to see and photograph round barns that Algie built did not end up being successful.

In December of 2022, I was researching information on Algie Shivers on the Vernon County Historical Society website when I became aware of a book, Barns without Corners: Round Barns of Vernon County by Kevin and Patsy Alderson. This was an exciting development in my quest to locate sources of information and so I called the historical society to order a copy. I also inquired about the round barn tour map I had initially used during my initial attempt to locate Algie’s round barns. I was told that the Alderson book had a much more historically accurate map of the remaining nine barns. When the book arrived, I was quite pleased with the wonderfully precise map that was included, the brief history of each barn, and the beautiful paintings of each barn (including some that are, unfortunately, no longer standing) done by Patsy Alderson.  

From the moment I first became aware of the round barns and Algie Shivers, my fascination with and admiration of the barns and Algie has only grown. Using the improved map, I immediately set about preparing to travel to Vernon County to locate the four remaining round barns attributed to Algie. In January of 2023 I was able to track down and photograph all four of the barns and had the added delight of doing so during a morning of hoarfrost, which blanketed the Cheyenne Valley in a beautifully ephemeral white that seemed as if out of a fairy tale.

During the research phase of this project, Vernon County Historical Society was very helpful in answering my questions, while providing information and some great historical pictures. I am quite impressed by the level of detail they were able to provide me about the history of African Americans in Cheyenne Valley and Algie Shivers, his life, and the history of his and other round barns that were once prevalent in Vernon County. A huge thank you for the Vernon County Historical Society’s pride in the history of Vernon County and in preserving the history of African Americans in Vernon County.

Alga’s father, Thomas Shivers, was a remarkable man in his own right with an incredible story. Thomas was born into slavery on July 15, 1857, in Tennessee. His family found the post-civil war Jim Crow laws difficult to live under and so walked from Tennessee to Wisconsin over a two-year period, arriving in Cheyenne Valley in 1879. Even more impressive, by 1900 Algie said his dad had the “largest negro-owned farm in Wisconsin” and had constructed a large frame house with the first hot and cold-water indoor plumbing in Cheyenne Valley. (3)  Thomas Shivers lived to be 101 years old.

As my interest in the round barns and Algie Shivers grew, I was quite intrigued by the mixed-race community of Cheyenne Valley, where he lived. I was simply amazed that different peoples had lived harmoniously, attending the same schools and churches, playing on the same sports teams, inter-marrying and being buried in the same cemeteries in the late 19th and early 20th century.  Below, the 1911 Mt. Tabor baseball team is an example of this integration. 

History of Algie Shivers

Algie Shivers was born on the Shivers farm in the Town of Union in Vernon County. Other than his stint in France during WWI, Algie spent his entire life living in the Towns of Union and Forest. He attended school in the Town of Dilly and went to college at George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, where he likely received training in carpentry and may have learned the techniques he would use to build round barns in Vernon County.

Alga entered the service on October 27, 1917, in Viroqua where he served in the segregated U. S. Army. The 92nd and 93rd Divisions were composed entirely of African American enlisted men from all around the country. Most of the officers were white. The 92nd was organized from the first group of African American draftees who entered service in late October of 1917. Alga Shivers became a private in the 365th Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 92nd Division. Members of the 92nd were sometimes called “Buffalo Soldiers,” a name originally used for all-Black cavalry regiments formed after the Civil War. (4)

According to Genevieve Roberts Reko (one of three children Algie helped raise), Algie was stationed in France, where he had a motorcycle and drove generals and other officers around in a sidecar. Apparently, he had his motorcycle shot out from under him a couple of times (5).

Because Algie grew up attending an integrated school and church and playing on an integrated baseball team, he may not have experienced the levels of discrimination soldiers in the 92nd faced on a regular basis. Alga’s wartime experiences may have introduced him to a level of racism he had not suffered before. After the war he chose to return to his farm in Vernon County, where he remained to the end of his days.

Algie, his brothers, and presumably, his father Thomas, built a round barn on their farm but it is no longer standing. It is thought Algie built or supervised the construction of an additional fifteen round barns in Vernon County. Sadly, only the four pictured in this article are still standing.

When preparing to construct a round barn, Algie and his crew cut the necessary logs from the farmers woods a year or two before he began building to allow the wood to cure. These logs were then cut into boards. Construction, which usually lasted about three months, would begin. All of Algie’s barns were made of wood. According to Kevin Alderson in Barns without Corners Round Barns of Vernon County, Algie used to tell of the large meals the local women would prepare for the workers, who often consisted of the farmers neighbors, as well as his crew.  

There is conflicting information on whether Algie built the Cunningham-Cina barn. According to the Vernon County Historical Society, the National Register submission says it is attributed to Algie, but without proof. The current owner of the barn, Angie Cina, says it was not built by him. There is debate on whether this barn matches the style of barn Algie was known for which included large cupolas, two-pitched roof, long vertical boards for the body of the barn, and a ring of windows at the base.

Algie was much more that a builder of round barns. He also built conventional barns and houses, especially as round barns became less popular and functional. In addition, he shared in the work on the family farm, which consisted of 150 tillable acres, where he raised oats, wheat, corn, barley, and potatoes and had hogs, chickens, sheep, cows, and horses. (5)  When Algie was 58, he married Flora (Revels) Waldron who was 65. They had met at a Sunday picnic at Wildcat Mountain State Park which is near Ontario, Wisconsin. Although they had no children of their own, Algie and Flora helped raise the three children of a young mother whose husband had died of cancer. Algie and Flora are buried at Forest Burr Cemetery in Vernon County, a cemetery that was integrated from its beginning in 1871.

Why Round Barns?

It is believed that the initial round barn, made of stone, was built in the U.S. in Hancock, Massachusetts, in 1826 by the Shakers. This barn still stands. The Shakers believed that evil spirits could not hide inside the round shape. (6)

University of Wisconsin -Madison professor Franklin H. King did the initial engineering research for round barns and silos and his “Plan of a Barn for a Dairy Farm,” which was published in 1890, was widely reprinted around the United States. It was a thesis on the attractiveness and economical value of round barns. (7) According to King, round barns held several advantages:

• They were more efficient

• Greater structurally stability

• Curved walls withstood strong winds better

• Greater volume to surface ratio and thus less building materials required

• Walls supported the roof so no need for pillars, allowing for greater storage capacity

• Circular aisle allowed for continuous one direction movement, allowing farmer to move form cow to cow without retracing steps

• Wedge shaped stalls fit cows well and allowed for ample room for milking

• Circular silo allowed for a single central feeding trough and protected silage from freezing

Most round barns were built between 1890 and 1930. The true circular barns, built with wooden slats, were not popular until the early 20th century (8). This era coincides with Wisconsin’s transformation from wheat growing to an emphasis on dairying. (5)

But all was not necessarily a benefit when it came to round barns.  They were difficult to build and maintain, the wooden strips used for the siding would easily spring away from the frame, and they were difficult to light and ventilate. The claims of efficiency were overstated as the center silo could be hard to fill and, though feeding might be easier, removing manure was more difficult.  It was also more challenging to fence in escaped animals with no corners to trap them. (2)

According to Driftless Wisconsin, round barns fell out of favor with the arrival of electricity: more traditional, rectangular-shaped barns work better with modern milking systems, mechanical barn cleaners, and square hay bales, all of which benefit from straight lines in their surrounding architecture. (9)

At one point, it was thought there were over 215 round barns in Wisconsin and an estimated 25 in Vernon County. Unfortunately, only 9 or so remain and of those, several are in danger of collapse. Today they are not as functional as they are a novelty and reminder of a past era; an era when a round barn had practical use for farmers needing to feed and milk their cows. This is also when Wisconsin was just discovering its Dairyland future but before technology and automation had ridden in on the coattails of the industrial revolution which rendered the design and purpose of the round barn obsolete.

The round barns that were so prevalent in Vernon County during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are an American phenomenon and primarily one that was midwestern, with both Wisconsin and Indiana having well over two hundred at one time. I feel it is necessary to reiterate the importance of these round barns and the living history they represent. This is especially true of those built by Algie Shivers, as it represents a time in Wisconsin’s history where a large rural area had a remarkable amount of integration. Algie Shivers lived in a time and place where he held an esteemed position in his community and was valued for who he was and what he was able to contribute.

I do know that there are those, including some current round barn owners, who want to see the remaining round barns preserved as the historical sites as they should be. Unfortunately, that funding has not been forthcoming, and things are now at the point where it is almost too late to save these marvels as several of them are in danger of collapsing. On a personal level, I find it to be a travesty that we are not preserving this unique part of Wisconsin’s history and already mourn the day when we cannot reverse time to do what is needed to restore and preserve these structures. Future generations should be able to witness such a unique style of barn that made sense before technological advances in automation relegated them obsolete.   

In this project, I am certainly not writing about anything that has not been documented. My purpose here has been to tell this story from my own perspective and to highlight a phenomenal man who built amazing and unique barns during a different time in Wisconsin’s past; a time when Wisconsin was just entering into its Dairyland era. There is a lot of great information out there regarding Algie Shivers and the round barns of Vernon County, but many people, including myself before I learned of it during a trip to Viroqua, are not aware of this unique part of Wisconsin history.  

As I have begun to be very intentional about my desire to learn and write about Black history in Wisconsin, it has become increasingly important to me to bring attention to these histories where and when I am able. It is my desire to work against the tendencies to minimize this cumulative story and instead, celebrate the richness, depth, and complexities of the Black experience in Wisconsin and share that with others. I am hoping the story of the Shivers family and the round barns they were so instrumental in erecting throughout Vernon County resonates with others as it has with me. This is a part of Wisconsin’s history that needs to be amplified and celebrated.

About the Author

Dr. Jeff Galligan is the co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin. He is a board member of Madison Audubon and Aldo Leopold Nature Center and is a Bird City Wisconsin steering committee member.  

Jeff is an avid birder and photographer. He teaches the Birding 101 and Warbler Identification classes for Madison Audubon. He recently earned the Wisconsin Master Naturalist Certification. His passion is to inspire kids of color and connect them to STEM related opportunities in ecology, conservation, and other life sciences.

Jeff is the director of TRIO Student Support Services and Men of Excellence programs at Madison College.

References

(1) African Americans in Wisconsin: History. Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Retrieved January 17, 2023. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/minority-health/population/afriamer-pophistory.htm#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20from%201779%20to%201800,by%20Wisconsin%20's%20white%20settlers.&text=During%20the%201820s%2D1830s%2C%20lead,to%20Wisconsin%2C%20a%20free%20state

(2) Brenthanifl. (2019, June 26). The driftless area. Driftless Wisconsin. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://driftlesswisconsin.com/the-driftless-area/

(3) By Rebecca Mormann-Krieger. (2017, June). Enduring Families: Shivers, Revels & Moss Families. Past Present & Future. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53345a30e4b0e0212de83d1a/t/59270426414fb5234ed4efc9/1495729199710/Vol+38+No+2_June_2017.pdf

(4) By Kristen Parrott. (2017, February). Museum Notes. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://vernoncountyhistory.org/lh/cheyenne/cv_as.php

(5) Alderson, Kevin. (2010). Barns without corners: round barns of Vernon County, Wisconsin. [La Farge, Wis.]: Kickapoo Valley Heritage.

(6) Round Barns of Wisconsin. Vernon County Historical Society. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.vernoncountyhistory.org/roundbarns/roundbarns.php#:~:text=The%20Shakers%20believed%20that%20evil,more%20efficient%20feeding%20of%20livestock

(7) Marsha Weisiger et al., "Round Barns of Vernon County", [Hillsboro, Wisconsin], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-VE1.

(8) Parks, Hilda (2020, March 28). Round Barns. https://blueearthcountyhistory.com/2020/03/28/round-barns/

(9) The Round Barns of Wisconsin. Driftless Wisconsin. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://driftlesswisconsin.com/the-round-barns-of-vernon-county/

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