CoppockBarn.com
Photographs, 1906-2002
The above photograph, thought to have been taken around 1956 by Nelson Hoover of Tipp City, looks to
the northwest. As of 2020, the only building still standing is the North Grain Storage bin.
The north wing of the
Randall Residence of Tipp City now occupies virtually the entire area where the 1857 barn and its adjoining
buildings once stood. The bright green rectangle in this
2019 Google image of the Randall Residence
identifies the space the 1857 Coppock barn once occupied.
The structures comprising the Coppock barn complex were:
1857 Barn: This was the oldest building in the
complex of farm buildings, thought to have been built
in 1857, or possibly 1858. Tax records show major improvements to the land in 1857 and 1858, very likely
indicating the years when the farm house and barn were built. A family member born in the 1880s
reported the barn was built before the house.
Approximate Dimensions: 80 ft x 45 ft x 38 ft.
Milk House: The Milk House was used to store milk
until it could be consumed or
sold. A well inside the house supplied water to cool the milk. It probably dated to around 1900.
Approximate Dimensions: 16 ft x 10 ft x 14 ft.
1956 Silo: The silo stored food for cattle. It is
thought to have been built sometime in the
mid-1950s. No documentation has yet been found to precisely identify a build date.
Approximate Dimensions: 60 ft x 18 ft (diameter).
1939 Silo: The build date for this silo can be
fixed fairly precisely, as a newspaper article early
in 1940 referenced new structures being built on the farm. In addition, lettering on the silo read
in part, "1824-1939". Presumably, this indicated the then owner's understanding of when the Homestead farm began,
as well as the year when the silo was completed. Nothing has been found to date to substantiate 1824 as
the beginning of the Coppock farm.
Approximate Dimensions: 60 ft x 14 ft.
North Addition: The North Addition is also thought
to have been built in 1939, or very close to it.
It provided some shelter for cattle, as well as an area where they could feed. The 1939 silo could be accessed
from the west side of this addition. Notably, the sill plate along the north wall of this addition was
made from what was thought to be a rail from the Dayton and Troy Electric Railway line which passed near the farm
from about 1901 until 1932.
Approximate Dimensions: 40 ft x 20 ft x 20 ft.
North Grain Storage: Used to store seed and grain;
probably dates to sometime in the 1950s.
Approximate Dimensions: 12 ft x 15 ft (diameter).
South Addition: The South Addition likely dated to
about the same time as the 1956 Silo. The
addition was composed of an area where cattle could be sheltered, as well as detained until they could be
milked each day. Adjacent to this area was the milking room with stanchions that held each cow as
it was being serviced. Also included in this building was the room where milk was stored until it could
be picked up by tanker truck.
Approximate Dimensions: 70 ft x 30 ft x 28 ft.
South Extension: This structure probably dates to 1857,
or sometime relatively soon after the
1857 barn was built. It likely served as shelter for farm animals, such as cattle and chickens, as well
as a storage area for wagons and other farm implements.
Approximate Dimensions: 45 ft x 20 ft x 18 ft.
South Grain Storage: Used to store seed and grain;
probably dates to sometime in the 1950s.
Approximate Dimensions: 28 ft x 18 ft (diameter).
Entire Barn Complex: Photographs substantially capturing
the entire area where the various Coppock barn complex buildings stood.
Vintage Photographs (1906-1999): All photographs taken before 2000 of
the Coppock barn and/or its associated buildings.
A 1/64 scale model of the Coppock Barn was constructed in 2022. The builder, Jack DeFord, estimates it
took 250 to 300 hours to create and assemble the model. You can view it
here.