William Thomas Turner Barn

The Turner Family has been in Johnson County, near modern-day Gardner, since the 1850s and have owned the historic farmland since 1891. Long before William Thomas Turner purchased the land, the property belonged to a veteran of the War of 1812 as part of a land grant signed by President James Buchanan. Turner, who came to Gardner with his family in 1857 at the age of four, had the barn built in 1898. The size of the barn along with the materials --Louisiana Red Cypress, speak to the farm's success and their wealth. At the time of building the barn, the Turners owned 345 acres of farmland worth approximately $20,000, equivalent to roughly $650,000 in today's economy.

The William Thomas Turner Barn, which has been featured numerous times in magazines, trade magazines, calendars, greeting cards, serves as an outstanding example of turn-of-the-century barn craftsmanship. Arthur J. Clinton, who built several barns in the Midwest, designed the bard for the William Thomas Turner family, who took possession of the land in 1891 and commissioned the barn construction in 1898; the family still owns the land. 

Turner, born in 1853 in North Carolina, moved to Kansas at the age of four with his parents. In 1874, William Turner married Marcia Gay, and he had shown himself to be a talented farmer. In 1891, at the age of thirty-eight, Turner purchased the now-historic land. The property he bought once belonged to a veteran of the War of 1812 as part of a land grant signed by President James Buchanan to military veterans. At the time, the land existed as part of the Missouri Territory (In 1812, settlers organized Missouri as a separate territory from the broader Louisiana territory. Kansas became a territory in 1854.) Turner purchased the property from G.M. Waugh, who had owned it since 1860. 

The farm provided the Turner family with immense success. Records show that W. T. Turner owned 345 acres of farmland worth approximately $20,000 around the turn of the twentieth century (equivalent to roughly $650,000 in 2020). In 1898, he hired Arthur J. Clinton of Spring Hill, Kansas, a lauded barn builder, to construct the Turner Barn. One could discover examples of Clinton's barns throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa during the twentieth century. The Turner Barn survives as a fine example of Turner's success and Clinton's barn-building prowess. 

The size, and the expensive materials used, speak to Turners' prominence. The barn's scope is much larger than commonly built during the late nineteenth century. The exterior design gives the impression of a three-story building, although only two levels existed in its interior. Farmers used the second story to store hay, while the first story accommodated the horses used to work the farm. The large sliding doors made horse traffic (through both sides of the barn) easy for the farmers, but it also proved efficient when farm machinery emerged. Clinton chose to use Louisiana Red Cypress, a material rarely found in Johnson County. Not only is Cypress known for its lightness and durability, but also its water-resistant quality. Trade magazines lauded the barn and its use of Cypress, leading the publishers to recommend its usage. But, the material's desirability drove up its price, making it one of the most expensive woods on the market, rendering it too costly for most farmers of the day.

W. T. "Tom" Turner's farming success garnered him a solid reputation, eventually leading him into local politics. He won an election in 1904 as County Treasurer by touting his success as a farmer (and he was reelected in 1906). Local newspapers endorsed his candidacy by touting his farm's success. 

After W. T. Turner died, he bequeathed the property to his kids, splitting the land among them. Ollie, his son, took over the barn's portion of the homestead. As the twentieth century progressed, the need for workhorses waned, so the barn stored increasingly stored agricultural equipment. In 1915, documents show Ollie owned nine horses, four mules, and a tractor, but he only owned two horses by 1925. Even into the early 1990s, the first floor held farming equipment while the second story served as a haymow (although in the form of mechanically baled hay since the 1950s). 

The durable materials used in building the barn allowed it to remain intact and functional throughout most of the twentieth century. Although repairs grew necessary by the 1980s, the work done to the barn proved exceptional, resulting in an honorable mention award in the 1986 National Trust for Historic Preservation "Barn Again" competition. The family continues to own the land, although they lease the farmland to others. The barn stands as a symbol of the Turner family, 1850s westward migration, and Johnson County's early history, of which William Turner played a significant role. 

Lippincott, Rich. "Registration Form: William Thomas Turner Barn." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. 1999. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/99000420_text.

"Turner Barn (1898)." Johnson County Museum. jcprd.com. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://www.jcprd.com/DocumentCenter/View/2319/Turner-Barn?bidId=.