Then & Now: Dresden Mule Barn – Channahon

In the early 1830s, Salmon Rutherford constructed an inn in a town called Dresden, which he platted along the future route of the I&M Canal.

Known as the Dresden Inn, Rutherford built the inn to accommodate and cater to the stagecoach traffic that came through the area. The town of Dresden flourished for a time and became important enough to warrant a post office that operated for a short time in the 1830s.

The construction of the Rutherford Barn, or what is commonly known today as the Dresden Barn, most likely was built in two stages, beginning in the late 1830s or early 1840s. Built on the north side of the I&M Canal, the three-story, heavy timber, post and beam built barn measures 65-by-26-feet and sits on a limestone (fieldstone) foundation.

The north half of the barn most likely predates the south half. After the canal berm was completed, the south section, which opens directly to the canal, was probably added to the existing building and possibly used for mule stabling. The addition of the south section made it possible to adapt the structure to a specific use, such as mule stabling.

The existing evidence of two periods of construction can be seen in the foundation walls, the still beams and the knee braces. In general, physical evidence such as changes in the thickness of the foundation walls, sizes of the sill beams, and the configuration of the knee braces indicate two periods of construction, and thus the north half of the barn is probably the older section.

Alterations to the barn over the years included the addition of a hay track in the roof structure, the installation of a concrete drain for dairy operation (1908), and the pouring of a concrete floor to replace the original dirt floor in the north section (1924).

The structure at the old settlement of Dresden is thought to be the I&M Canal’s last surviving mule barn. Mule barns housed mules when they became tired from towing boats along the canal. These barns were maintained about every 12-15 miles along the canal route.

There is a strong possibility that the Dresden Barn was used as a mule barn, although the barn is on the opposite side of the canal from the towpath. While impractical, it is not uncommon for communities along the canal to have buildings located on the opposite side of the towpath.

The old barn at Dresden was also used as a granary, and grain was stored in sacks for shipment on the canal. The I&M Canal was officially closed to navigation in 1933, when the last sections of the Sanitary and Ship Canal were completed.

The then photograph, circa 1965, is a view of the old mule barn looking north across the canal. The now photograph shows a view of the barn today from Hansel Road in Channahon.