WONDER LAKE, ILLINOIS (RFD-TV) — From distinctive diamond-shaped signatures to nearly 200 discoveries, one woman’s search is helping preserve a piece of agricultural history.
For Dr. Marianne May, a drive through the countryside is more than just a scenic trip. It’s a chance to uncover another piece of her family’s history.
The self-proclaimed “Silo Hunter” is on a mission to track down concrete silos her grandfather, Frank J. May, built across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. So far, she’s identified about 200!
Frank was a cement contractor who began building silos around 1910, leaving his mark on farms throughout the region for decades. But his work had a distinctive signature: an eight-sided, diamond-shaped concrete topper on top of each silo.
Those decorative diamonds have become one of Marianne’s biggest clues in identifying her grandfather’s work. However, not all have survived the test of time. Weather, aging, and even target practice have caused some to disappear.
When the diamond is missing, Marianne turns to other clues, including the silo’s poured-concrete construction, roof slope, side chute, and even nearby farm foundations.
From Family Photos to Silo Hunting
Growing up in Richmond, Illinois, Marianne was surrounded by her grandfather’s work. But it wasn’t until years later, after moving to Florida, that those familiar farm structures took on a deeper meaning.
During visits home, she began taking pictures of her children in front of the silos, explaining that their great-grandfather had built them.
Eventually, she realized she couldn’t remember which farms some of those photos were taken at. That sparked an idea.
In 2021, Marianne officially began documenting the silos, researching their locations and connecting with landowners to learn more about the farms they once served.
What started as a family photo tradition has since grown into a mission to preserve generations of agricultural history.
Uncovering Hidden Pieces of History
Along the way, Marianne has made some remarkable discoveries.
At a farm near Spring Grove, Illinois, she found a rare written signature in a hog shed reading “F May October 1950,” offering evidence of her grandfather’s work during that time.
Another discovery brought her even closer to her family’s roots.
Inside a silo at her grandmother Matilda’s family homestead, Marianne discovered her grandfather’s name alongside the names of several of his sons.
She’s also recovered two fallen diamond-shaped silo toppers during her searches. Other surviving toppers have found new homes in family gardens and as decorative reminders of the region’s farming past.
Preserving a Changing Rural Landscape
But for Marianne, the search goes beyond her grandfather’s legacy.
As development and urban sprawl continue to reshape the Northern Illinois countryside, many of the small family farms she remembers from childhood have disappeared.
And while wooden barns have been torn down or lost to time, some of the concrete silos that once stood beside them remain.
Those structures offer a glimpse into the agricultural practices, farm families, and rural communities of generations past.
Marianne hopes that by documenting the silos and the stories behind them, she can help preserve that history before more is lost.
And her work is far from finished.
With approximately 200 silos identified and more still waiting to be discovered, Marianne continues returning to the Midwest in search of her grandfather’s work.
For this ‘Silo Hunter,’ every discovery is more than another concrete structure. It’s another piece of family history standing tall.
