While it is informally called the "round barn" at Cantril, the Wickfield Sales Pavilion was not built as a barn but as an auction and lodging facility. The Wickfield Pavilion has had a definite impact on the agricultural community. Perhaps no barn in Iowa has as colorful a history as Cantril's famed round barn. Its likeness has been on everything from paintings, to sweatshirts, to Christmas ornaments, and much more.

At one time or another it was a sales pavilion, a packing plant, dormitory and, believe it or not, was raided as a "speakeasy" during prohibition days. Built in 1918 on the Wickfield farm at a cost of $20,000, it became known as the largest Hampshire hog farm in the world with some 1500 hogs being fed at once.

The barn had 8 dormers on the lower part of the roof and 4 on the second part. The basement complex was beautifully equipped for humans with a dining room and kitchen, also a furnace room, an electric lighting plant, and a fruit cellar.

The ground floor featured an indoor arena for the auctioning of registered Hampshire hogs, complete with retractable bleachers, an auctioneer’s booth, and an adjoining room for a stenographer and accountant. The second floor contained eight dormitory rooms for workers and for overnight guests. The crow's nest (third floor) was a card room and social parlor. The total structure is fifty two feet in diameter and 65 feet tall. Wickfield Farms usually held two auctions each year, some lasting up to three months. Steep bidding was part of the spectacle and one animal sold for a whopping $5,000. Many hogs were displayed at shows in the Midwest, and in 1923 their record included 6 grand champions, 12 champions and 59 firsts. Cash winnings topped $2,300. Two famous hogs were Lookout Lad and Lieutenant Wickware.

The final curtain fell in the mid 20's when the farm economy turned sour, the farm finally sold to individuals outside the family. The barn was later used for recreation, and later storage.

The structure was entered into the National Historic Register in 1986 and in the late 1990’s the building was leased to the Van Buren County Historic Preservation Commission. This group’s first work was to put on a new roof and install new windows so that the interior would be protected from the elements. Although the above has been completed and floor structural system has been upgraded, there is still much to be done.

This is your chance to own a very unique piece of history. Once restored the uses for this building would only be limited by your imagination!

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