During the first decade of the 20th century, a beautiful barn sat atop a gentle slope. It was a raised barn, with a posted forebay, seated on a basement foundation.

Its vertical siding sported about 30 louvers and was crowned with a gable roof. It was a typical timber-frame barn one could find most anywhere in Ohio. However, it stood proud and served its family well.

The barn became quite famous, and people came from everywhere to see and take photographs of this amazing barn. Yes, it had a beautiful setting, sitting on the low ridge. Yes, the standard gable roof was no different than any other. What was so amazing about this barn?

As the story was told throughout the community and spread beyond, curious people began to flock to Richland County, Ohio. They hopped aboard the inter-urban train from Mansfield to Crestline with their cameras and picnics, and disembarked at a small park to experience this unusual barn and its part in the force of nature providing five different watersheds throughout the North American continent.

Two things came into play here. The ridge upon which the barn sat is part of the north-south continental divide, spanning east to west across America until it meets the Great Divide in the Rocky Mountains.

The north-south divide is not nearly as dramatic as the Great Divide, but the principle works the same, dividing and guiding the flow of water across the continent. Just how can an ordinary barn in Richland County, Ohio, have an effect on watersheds reaching the Atlantic Ocean?

5 different watersheds

Here is the amazing part: The ridge of the barn roof happened to run parallel to the east-west divide. When it rained in Richland County, the runoff from the roof drained into two ponds, which formed the headwaters of five different watersheds. Each in its own meandering, rushing and tumbling way was seeking sea level and the Atlantic Ocean.

The runoff from the north side of the Watershed Barn drained into Palmer Springs. The small pond formed the headwaters of the Sandusky River, Huron River and Vermillion River watersheds, each flowing north into Lake Erie, over Niagara Falls, through the St. Lawrence Seaway and emptied into the Atlantic Ocean.

From the south side of the barn roof, raindrops made their way into what was known as Summit Lake forming two creeks, the Black Fork and the Clear Fork. Over their separate waterways, they met up to form the headwaters of the Mohican River, which flowed into the Walhonding River, and then the Tuscarawas and Muskingum rivers.

From there it continues south to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, finally spilling into the Gulf of Mexico and eventually mixing with the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the water from Summit Lake and other tributaries also helped supply the Scioto River, as it also runs to the beautiful Ohio River.

From all of this information, the barn was dubbed the Watershed Barn and was famous until something else caught the attention of the curious public, and the fame of the amazing Watershed Barn faded into the pages of history.

By mid-century, progress in Richland County was beginning to sprawl out from the cities with four-lane highways. It was U.S. Route 30 that completely changed the landscape, eventually connecting Atlantic City, N.J., with Astoria, Ore.

Consequently, farms along its great length were being eliminated or divided. The Watershed Barn was on one such farm. It was torn down with its accompanying outbuildings without a moment’s thought as to the history it was erasing.

The closest landmark to the location of the famous Watershed Barn is a brick church where Fourth Street intersects with U.S. Route 30 between Crestline and Ontario, Ohio.

Today cars, pickups and 16-wheelers rush coast to coast along U.S. Route 30, with only their destination in mind and never a thought to the past.

Pamela Whitney Gray, The Lady Barn Consultant, is author of “Ohio Barns Inside and Out with the Barn Consultant." Reach her at 740-263-1369 or [email protected].