Dunker Barn
(c. 1898)
Claremont Vicinity, Minnesota

The Dunker Barn (MHPR DO-CLT-047) is an unusual example of a German immigrant timber frame barn in Minnesota. Its design blends elements of Low German or Saxon German-influenced barns, Dutch immigrant barns from areas like New York state, and three-aisle barns common in the Midwest and West. The structure is built with timber frame members assembled via mortise and tenon joinery. The custom-fit timbers are saw-cut and display Roman numeral-like carpenter’s marks (aka “marriage” marks).

Minnesota’s German immigrant timber frame barns serve as direct architectural links to the settlement of the state by European immigrants. The forms, design details, and construction techniques likely represent the practice of Germanic cultural traditions by either immigrants coming directly from Europe, or Germans moving to Minnesota from an immigrant community previously established in the Eastern US. Some construction details are believed to be rare in the Midwest (and possibly nationwide). Because of the quality of its design and construction, the Dunker Barn is an important example of the timber frame barns built in the late 19th and early 20th century by Minnesotans of German immigrant stock.

Large format photography was performed for the Minnesota Historic Property Record (MHPR) and Gemini Research, who provided this historical background for the property.