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Chris Jensen Round Barn

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

From the record

“The Chris Jensen Round Barn was a historic round barn located at 11723 West Galena Road near Lena, Illinois. The barn was 60 feet (18 m) in diameter and featured a conical roof with a cupola.”

Wikipedia article Chris Jensen Round Barn, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 16 National Register listings published here for Stephenson County · listed in 1984 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Jensen, Chris, Round Barn - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. 11723 W. Galena Rd., Lena, 61048
  • When was it listed? February 1984
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Round Barns in Illinois TR
  • Township. West Point township
  • National Register reference number. 84001150 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

11,776 words

The chapter on West Point Township in The History of Stephenson County, Illinois : Containing ... Biographical Sketches ... War Record ... Statistics ... Portraits of Early Settlers ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois, &c. .., published 1880 names Lena. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

JACOB ACKER, farmer; P.O. Lena; born Sept. 28, 1814, in Mifflin Co., Penn.; he learned the carpenter trade in Union Co., Penn., following the business until 1843, when he came to Stephenson Co. ; he has followed farming and the carpenter's trade since coming to this county ; he now owns 65 acres ; part of this land is inside the corporation, and he owns other town property ; he has been Justice of the Peace and County Superintendent ; he was Postmaster in Lowell, Jefferson Township ; he also was School Treasurer and Director. Married Amelia Himes in 1839 ; she was born in Union Co., Penn., in 1818; they had nine children, six living - George H., Mary E., Kate, Margaret A., Jane and Viola F. ; George H. enlisted in 1861, in the 92d T. V. I.; served about one year, and was discharged on account of sickness.

Passage source: The History of Stephenson County, Illinois : Containing ... Biographical Sketches ... War Record ... Statistics ... Portraits of Early Settlers ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois, &c. .., published 1880.

H. W. ALLEN, nursery and farmer, Sec. 32 ; P. 0. Lena ; born Aug. 4, 1842, in Galena, 111.; when about three years of age, he came with his parents to his present locality ; his father formerly owned about 400 acres of land ; part of this land is now occupied by the lumber yard, depot, etc.; they own now 80 acres, and he is largely engaged in the nursery business, consisting of fruit and ornamental trees, it is equal to any nursery in the county. Married Miss Cordelia Aurand, in 1865 ; she was born in Carlisle, Penn.; they have six children, three sons and three daughters. He enlisted in 1864, in Co. A, 14:2d I. V. I., as Sergeant, and served about six months. His father died in November, 1864, aged 50 years.

Passage source: The History of Stephenson County, Illinois : Containing ... Biographical Sketches ... War Record ... Statistics ... Portraits of Early Settlers ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois, &c. .., published 1880.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on West Point Township - 11,776 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

6 since 2004

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Chris Jensen Round Barn between 2004 and 2008, burning about 99 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony4
Debris and open burning1
Arson/incendiarism1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 April 2004Recreation and ceremony20 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
5 April 2004Recreation and ceremony12 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
17 April 2008Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry Resources8010
17 April 2004Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
10 April 2004Arson/incendiarism60 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
22 March 2004Recreation and ceremony5.0 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named

Every fire recorded in Stephenson County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Chris Jensen Round Barn: 9 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Kent Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Lena QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
R. E. Cox QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Stich QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
V.H. Stitch QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Stephenson County

Storms near this property

43 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lena, the town this property stands in, in 43 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 19 thunderstorm wind, 7 heavy rain, 7 hail, 6 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2008Thunderstorm WindLena$50,000Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph blew down four utility poles near the intersection of N 5 Corners Rd and Highway 20 about 2 miles south southwest of Lena, IL around 9:30 pm July 7. A power outage was observed in several surrounding communities. This report was relayed by the Freeport Journal Standard newspaper.
September 2000LightningLena$30,000Lightning struck a home and ignited a fire.
August 2007Flash FloodLena$10,000Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches fell across Stephenson County during the early morning hours of August 7th resulting in flash flooding. Two feet of water was coving parts of Highway 20 east of Highway 73. Some motorists were stranded in high water in Freeport, IL. Several gravel roads east of the Highway 20 and Highway 73 intersection were washed out. The US Bank and Health Department buildings in Freeport had flooded basements.
June 2004Flash FloodLena$10,000Yellow Creek out of banks; Sunnyside Rd closed due to high water.
June 2004Flash FloodLena$10,000Wagner Rd closed due to high water.
June 2004Flash FloodLena$10,000Waddams Creek out of banks; Jct of Unity and Louisa Rds closed due to high water
June 2005Thunderstorm WindLena$8,000Tree down on a house; power lines down in city.
October 2004Thunderstorm WindLena$3,000Downburst leveled several trees 2.5 to 3 feet in diameter along with power lines. The trees were solid but had been weakened by severe storms back in August.
April 2026Tornado (EF2)Lena-A high-end EF2, possible multi-vortex, tornado with estimated peak winds around 130 mph started along Highway 20, southwest of Lena IL, and tracked through Lena before lifting just southwest of Orangeville. The tornado caused significant damage to trees along its path, including uprooting and snapping trees. When the tornado begun it immediately caused EF1 damage to trees, gaining strength to an EF2 tornado snapping many power poles southwest of Lena. The tornado turned to the right, into town causing a lot of roof damage and tree damage. A lot of houses had shingle and siding damage. The most significant damage occurred on Grove Street, where three houses lost their entire roof structure. Two of the homes experienced partial exterior wall collapses. Damage in this area is consistent with 130 MPH winds. In Lena, the damage footprint in Lena is approximately 1250 yards wide. As the tornado moved to the northeast, damage to farm structures was noted. Even towards the end of the path, the tornado was causing EF1 damage to trees.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindLena-Several pine trees were blown down. Limbs down on other trees as well on west side of Lena, Illinois.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindLena-A public report of a measured 93 MPH wind gust.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindLena-A public report via social media of a large section of a tree blown down. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
July 2017FloodLena-A trained spotter reported widespread flooding. A road was underwater for at least the length of a football field in a location does not normally flood.
July 2017Flash FloodLena-Local law enforcement reported 4 road closures in Stephenson County due to flash flooding. Highway 20 west was closed at Damier Road. Highway 20 was closed at Kiever Road. Highway 20 was closed west of Galena Road to the county line. Highway 73 was closed west of Louisa Road.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindLena-The emergency manager reported trees were down in the area. The time was estimated by radar.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindLena-Law enforcement reported power lines down in Lena.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindLena-Emergency Manager estimated winds speeds of 60 mph.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindLena-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down several tree branches in Lena, IL at 932 pm CDT June 8.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindLena-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed in Lena, IL at 932 pm CDT June 8.
July 2011Heavy RainLena-As of 550 am CDT July 28, the 10 hour rainfall total in Lena, IL was 4.85 inches.
July 2011Heavy RainLena-As of 810 am CDT July 28, the rainfall total in Lena, IL was 5.58 inches.
August 2011Heavy RainLena-Storm total rainfall from 500 pm cdt to 545 pm cdt.
August 2011Heavy RainLena-Heavy rain fell in a period of 30 minutes. Rain continues to fall in Lena.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindLena-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down some 1 to 2 inch diameter tree branches in Lena, IL at 620 pm August 4.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindLena-Winds estimated to be 70 mph blew down some trees in Lena, IL around 2:02 pm June 28.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindLena-Winds estimated to be 65 mph blew down a dead tree onto Highway 73 north of Lena, IL.
August 2006HailLena-Penny size hail was reported on the Stephenson/Jo Daviess line.
June 2004Heavy RainLena-Water ponding on road
June 2004Heavy RainLena-Water ponding on Unity Rd and intersection of Range and Rink Rds
June 2004Heavy RainLena-Water ponding on Sunnyside Rd
May 2002Thunderstorm WindLena-Trees down.
August 2002Flash FloodLena-Several homes inundated with water.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindLena-Thunderstorm winds gusting to 60 mph downed trees and damaged crops. Reported by Emergency Management.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindLena-Large tree down on Route 73 at Hershey Road.
May 1998Tornado (F0)Lena-Brief tornado touched down in open farm land.
March 2026HailLena-no account filed
March 2026HailLena-no account filed
March 2026HailLena-no account filed
May 2024HailLena-no account filed
June 2015HailLena-no account filed
May 2010HailLena-no account filed
June 2002Thunderstorm WindLena-no account filed
April 1997Thunderstorm WindLena-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Stephenson County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

4 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Lena Water Tower0.9 miles1997
Dennis Otte Round Barn6.4 miles1984
Gerald Harbach Round Barn6.8 miles1984
Kellogg's Grove7.2 miles1978

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 84001150 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Stephenson CountyAll 16 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.