Well, that is a pretty scary example!! lol!! In Washington pole barns and pole buildings are used for lots of different applications. They usually have cement floors and are sided with metal and roofed with metal.

Boy, that sure doesn't look like my pole barn OR my storm shelter! 

But a pole barn does, indeed, have poles inside that support the roof (ours happen to be telephone poles as the person who owned the place when it was built worked for the phone company and could get a good deal - we have VERY sturdy fences in places, too!).  The roof is usually metal - but it doesn't have to leak.  Some have metal poles as supports.  Many (such as ours) don't have walls all the way around - some simply have a roof, ours has walls on two sides with the open sides opening onto paddocks so the animals have a choice of in or out.  The floor of ours is, indeed, dirt, though - animals, y'know, of the bovine and equine persuasion, it's easier that way.

Our storm shelter, put in after the F5 hit town, is concrete and makes quite a nice storage place when there's no tornadoes.  Though it did flood completely (even though it's well above the 100 year flood plain) when we had the huge rains last summer (19 inches in 4 hours will do that).  

Jo, thanks for comments.  Pole barns can be many things!!

Tricia, that's a great explanation of pole barns.  What's an F5?  Thanks for comments.

An F5 is a tornado.  A BIG tornado.  The highest rating on the Fujitsu scale of tornadoes.  A "the tornado that ate Jarrell" tornado.  Here's a brief youtube video of it (it got up to 1/4 mile wide and went VERY slowly and essentially ground everything in its path down to the size of a quarter - it also broke every rule in the book on  tornado behavior, evidently).  Just google Jarrell and F5 and tornado.

Hi Barbara, Yup it's a pole barn.  Based on what I am seeing you may find some treasure there...keep your head down and look...  Many of these older areas have old coins where people worked.  Selling it will probably bring you more coins I am quite sure!  Have a great 2008.

I think I'd skip that storm shelter.  I suspect the only reason it is still standing is because no "real" storms came its' way,  Karen Kruschka 

Tricia, that is a HUGE tornado!!  I'm sorry about Jarrell.  We've had very close calls in Searcy AR with lots of damaging at other cities around us.  I watched the youtube and it was BIG!  Thanks for comments.

Gary, I wish the weather were better so I could hunker down in that pole barn and that storm cellar and find hidden treasure!  I once did the treasure hunting bit but people borrowed the machines and never brought them back.  Thanks for comments.

Karen, I agree with you.  The storm might be easier than getting in that thing.  Perhaps when we can do the yard around it it will look better????  Thanks for stopping by.

I always wanted a Pole Barn.  NOT!  Funny.  Although that storm cellar is NOT funny.  Its downright scary.

I had never heard of a pole barn when before I moved to the outer suburbs of Chicago. I was used to selling lofts and condos in the City. Now that I'm out here I'm seeing that pole barns are quite common. Every day is a learning experience.

Hi Rich,

I believe I'd prefer the condos in the city to the pole barns.  But we do learn each day.  Thanks for comments.

Dear Barbara,

       I have a farm on which my Dad, relatives and no doubt neighbors helped build made out of

poles most of which are Lodgepole Pine trees. It measures 30 by 40 feet and about 35 high at the top of

the cupola. The outer frame  is made of poles 4 to 5 inches in diameter with center supports made of

 bigger poles that also supports the hay loft. the lower wall posts are on sixteen inch centers as is the

hipped roof.

     The sheathing as its called is 1x10 or 1x12, with a finish of ship-lap.

Here in North Idaho it's not uncommon to see a piece of ground covered with Lodgepole pine trees so

thick it actually looks like some one sewed the trees like you would plant a lawn.

     For many years it had a cedar shingle roof on it.

     My parents have passed on and of coarse I never talked to my Dad as to how got up in the top of that

building to do the carpentry work.

     Just this past week one of my son's and I climbed up on the top to shovel off a record snowfall of

roughly 32 inches.

     The reason I went to your website is to ask if you heard anything about federal funds to restore real

pole barn buildings? I think the one I own was built before 1938.

     Tony Myers,

    Rathdrum, Idaho 

Looks like a rental to me! LOL!

Tony, that sounds interesting.  A picture would be good to see.  I have not heard of any funds of any kind.

Michele, thanks for stopping by.