An octagon barn in the Thumb finds new life.

One of Michigan’s most unusual attractions is an eight-sided barn that rests on land that includes a peat bog. It’s nearly 100 years old, and has perfect proportions, lending cathedral-like grandeur and timeless grace to a working-class building.

The Octagon Barn, located near Gagetown in Michigan’s Thumb, about 35 miles east of Bay City, is earning a reputation as a repository of early 20th-century farm life.

The barn and nearby farmhouse are being restored by “The Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn,” a group of 650 committed to saving the historical site and creating a Thumb Agricultural Museum.

The barn and farmhouse were built by James L. Purdy, a local banker and lumberyard owner. Purdy hired local builders George and John Munro to build the two-story, 12-room Craftsman-style house in 1919 on 40 acres he purchased on Richie Road.

Started in 1923, the barn was meant to resemble one Purdy apparently saw during a trip to Iowa. The Munros consulted with Russell Jaggers, a principal and mathematics teacher in Gagetown, to help with the calculations necessary to construct an octagonal building.

The barn’s eight sides each measure 42 feet-6 inches long, and 24 feet high. The framing is sheathed with 1×12-inch shiplap siding. To the tip of the weather vane, the barn is 70 feet tall.

The Purdys, along with their two daughters, moved into their new home in May, 1922. In 1942, they sold the farm and moved back into the Village of Gagetown. James Purdy died on Christmas Eve in 1950 at the age of 80 and Cora died in 1955 at 86.

The property has had many owners. In 1991, the estate ended up in the hands of the local bank and was purchased by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR only wanted the land, but the barn was on the State Historical Registry, preventing the DNR from tearing it down.

In 1995, an agreement was reached with the DNR, which gave control of almost 10 acres to the Friends and the assurance that they could proceed with restoration efforts. They have put over $100,000, plus donated material and labor, into the restoration.

In May, the facility hosts tours for preschool through elementary grades.

The weekend following Labor Day is Fall Family Days, when visitors can step back in time through displays and demonstrations to experience the color and mood of farming in the early 1900s.

Host couples living on the grounds serve as caretakers.

The Friends welcome visitors to the site from May through October, from dawn to dusk. Tours can be arranged for groups of 10 or more. There is no set admission fee, but donations are greatly appreciated. The Octagon Barn site can also be reserved for large group picnics, reunions, weddings and other gatherings. Call 989-665-0081 for guidelines, expenses and restrictions.

Fall Family Days begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, with a fish dinner and run through Sunday, Sept. 7. For details, visit thumboctagonbarn.org.