Barn-Raising in the Oklahoma House: Landscape of Historic Arcadia Barn Dedicated

Thanks to the generosity of one Oklahoma couple and the talents of an Oklahoma artist, another original painting entitled "Arcadia Round-Up" by artist Linda Tuma Robertson was dedicated in the Oklahoma House Wednesday afternoon. The work, sponsored by Oklahoma County Commissioner and former State Representative Ray Vaughn and his wife, Suzanne and commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund.

“Many artists have depicted the historic Round Barn, but I know of none who have shown it as part of a larger landscape of a working farm,” said former State Senator Charles Ford, President of the Preservation Fund. “This painting represents the original purpose of the barn on a family farm, long before Route 66 was built alongside.”

The barn was constructed in the spring of 1898 by William Harrison Odor, members of his family and his neighbors. Odor believed that a round barn would withstand an Oklahoma tornado. He fashioned the rafters from green lumber soaked in water from the nearby Deep Fork River. The rafter was then shaped to form the exact curve of the roof. The Round Barn is two stories high, with a diameter of 60' and a height of 45'.

"The interesting thing about this barn, besides its architectural detail, is the fact that it was not only used to shelter cattle, mules and hay, but the loft was used for barn dances and other social gatherings," added Ford.

In 1988, the barn was donated to the Arcadia Historical and Preservation Society, which restored the Round Barn with a group of volunteers.

The painting is a gift from the Vaughn family. Ray Vaughn was elected in 2006 to serve as Oklahoma County Commissioner from District 3. He served as State Representative for District 81 (Edmond) from 1988-2004. Vaughn currently serves on the Board of Directors for Oklahoma Christian University; University of Central Oklahoma Foundation Board of Trustees; and the Edmond Parks Foundation. He and his wife of 37 years, Suzanne Vaughn, have three children and seven grandchildren.

The artist, Linda Tuma Robertson, is a native Oklahoman who currently resides in Edmond. She was educated at Oklahoma City University and credits her parents for giving her the opportunity to develop her art talent. At the age of nine, she studied with the late John Shelby Metcalf, a prominent Oklahoma artist. Robertson's style has been described as a combination of realism and impressionism. By the time she was twenty, her work had been displayed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Kerr Museum, the Oklahoma Museum of Art, and the Oklahoma Art Center. She is a member of the Oil Painters of America and the Oklahoma Art Guild.

The frame was hand-carved and gold-leafed by Oklahoma native, Jeremiah Baker, of Edmond.

This and other art commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. can be found on the Senate website at www.oksenate.gov.