Author and speaker Melanie Holmes included Ryan’s Round Barn in her latest book, 100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die, published this spring by Reedy Press. Like Christian, Holmes is a barn enthusiast and visited the site in 2019. She met with Christian and took a tour. The barn is not only the largest of its kind in the state, but in the country, she said. It’s one of many barns she’s visited, but her Henry County experience was one of a kind.