The ross grain elevator is rich in history and potential
It's a one-of-a-kind structure, both historically and architecturally and needs to be saved.
The first grain elevators built in this country are an
iconic example of the American pioneering spirit—people overcoming
insurmountable odds in an effort to feed their families and the country—the
Ross elevator is a rare remaining example of this spirit.
The Ross elevator is a remarkable piece of history due to its age, architecture and construction site. The main elevator structure was most likely built in the 1880’s on the western edge of Ross, Iowa along the Northwestern/Rock Island Railroad line that once ran through Audubon County. There is no available documentation which states the actual age it was built, however, some have said it was built as early as the late 1870’s, preparing for the railroad to come through.
According to the Founder and President of the Country Grain Elevator Historical Society and vintage grain elevator expert Bruce Selyem of Montana, the Ross elevator is one of the oldest and quite possibly THE oldest elevator left in Iowa. He has visited 5,200 places in North America and hundreds in Iowa related to vintage grain elevators, including Ross, and says the Ross elevator is different from anything he has ever seen regarding its shape, age and construction. Bruce feels the unique size of the head house, in relation to the storage area where the head house is as tall as the building itself, can be deemed architecturally significant. The foundation is constructed of stacked limestone, the vast majority of wooden elevators had poured concrete, this is a good indicator of its elderly status and rarity. Finally, the elevator is built into the side of a hill bank-barn style as most were constructed on flat ground. Bruce stated, "Grain elevators were first built in North America beginning in the late 1860s. The Ross elevator is from this era; it may be the oldest example in Iowa with few left in the United States." It's a one-of-a-kind structure both historically and architecturally and needs to be saved.
The elevator consists of three separate buildings: the main structure, brick scale house, and a crib bin on the south side built around 1900. This same piece of property once contained another elevator, train depot, stock yards and numerous other outbuildings, but this elevator is the only building yet standing. The elevator should be considered historically significant due only to its construction; but it also gave farmers at that time a place to sell their commodities, helping to open portions of northern Audubon County to settlement.
The Ross elevator is a remarkable piece of history due to its age, architecture and construction site. The main elevator structure was most likely built in the 1880’s on the western edge of Ross, Iowa along the Northwestern/Rock Island Railroad line that once ran through Audubon County. There is no available documentation which states the actual age it was built, however, some have said it was built as early as the late 1870’s, preparing for the railroad to come through.
According to the Founder and President of the Country Grain Elevator Historical Society and vintage grain elevator expert Bruce Selyem of Montana, the Ross elevator is one of the oldest and quite possibly THE oldest elevator left in Iowa. He has visited 5,200 places in North America and hundreds in Iowa related to vintage grain elevators, including Ross, and says the Ross elevator is different from anything he has ever seen regarding its shape, age and construction. Bruce feels the unique size of the head house, in relation to the storage area where the head house is as tall as the building itself, can be deemed architecturally significant. The foundation is constructed of stacked limestone, the vast majority of wooden elevators had poured concrete, this is a good indicator of its elderly status and rarity. Finally, the elevator is built into the side of a hill bank-barn style as most were constructed on flat ground. Bruce stated, "Grain elevators were first built in North America beginning in the late 1860s. The Ross elevator is from this era; it may be the oldest example in Iowa with few left in the United States." It's a one-of-a-kind structure both historically and architecturally and needs to be saved.
The elevator consists of three separate buildings: the main structure, brick scale house, and a crib bin on the south side built around 1900. This same piece of property once contained another elevator, train depot, stock yards and numerous other outbuildings, but this elevator is the only building yet standing. The elevator should be considered historically significant due only to its construction; but it also gave farmers at that time a place to sell their commodities, helping to open portions of northern Audubon County to settlement.