This barn was known as the stier stall in communal times. This was a building that held the bulls and steers. It is here that the steers were fattened on grass and feed. They were then taken to the meat market and butchered. As I mentioned in the schlacthaus page, two steers were butchered a week to feed the village. Click here for the schlacthaus page.
Usually Angus was the preferred breed of cattle used in the Colonies. They served a dual purpose for both milking and eating. I believe that there still are some purebred Angus in the Amanas, but most are now a crossbreed of Angus and Hereford cattle. The Society Farms are still in charge of the herds. In fact, some of the cattle are raised to be sent (as meat) to Japan! Its a far cry from the communal times!
This barn was also a popular stopping spot for hobos. Since it is in close proximity to the Rock Island Railroad, it made of a handy place to stay. Surprisingly, many of the South Amana residents didn't mind hobos. Some even became friends the visited on a yearly basis. Some of these vagrants even came to work and retire in South Amana. I can still remember this barn being used by hobos. I was pretty scared of them. I guess the "never talk to strangers" talk worked on me, because I never talked much to them!
This barn also offered a good sledding hill that has been used by children for decades. It was especially held in high esteem before Highway 220 became so busy. Now parents are leery about sending their children to sled on a hill that has a busy highway at the bottom (Go figure!). The barn was always one of my favorite places to play. If you ask anyone of my friends, I'm sure they will have many stories about the Zuber barn! This barn was where my father and his friends played basketball!
The building is still standing and is used mostly for storage. Picture courtesy of the Amana Heritage Society.