‘Before more of them disappear’: granddaughter maps 200 silos her grandfather built

Frank May spent decades travelling from farm to farm in northern Illinois, building concrete silos that would go on to define the skyline of the American Corn Belt for generations. Now, according to a report by KCUR, National Public Radio in Kansas City, his granddaughter Marianne May has spent the past six years making sure his work is not forgotten.

She has identified, photographed and mapped nearly 200 silos built by her grandfather, travelling across rural communities in states such as Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri and speaking with the landowners who still live alongside the surviving structures. Her project has turned a personal effort to trace her grandfather’s craftsmanship into a broader record of rural agricultural history.

Silos became essential fixtures on Midwest farms during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, storing silage, or fermented forage, to feed livestock through the year. As dairy and cattle farming expanded, the tall cylindrical towers, built from concrete, brick, stone or wood, became an almost universal feature of family farms and, for many builders like Frank May, a form of lasting craftsmanship.

But the structures are increasingly disappearing. Advances in farming technology have introduced bunker silos, silage bags and other large-scale storage systems better suited to today’s mechanised operations, leaving many of the old upright silos unused. Some have been demolished because of safety concerns, upkeep costs or changing land use, according to the KCUR report.

Preservation experts say these silos are far more than old farm buildings, representing the legacy of agricultural advancement and the skill of rural artisans who helped shape the Midwest. By photographing, mapping and recording the stories behind nearly 200 of them, Marianne May’s project ensures that even as the physical towers vanish, the history behind them will not.

Wikimedia Commons/by TheTechnician27