The online home of the Round Barn Man
“Butch drew what he saw, what he remembered, and perhaps what only he could see.”
Enter the CollectionErnest Lee “Butch” Breger was an artist, storyteller, Route 66 character, and longtime caretaker of Arcadia’s Round Barn.
Published history, personal recollection, and unidentified details remain clearly labeled rather than blended together.
“I met Butch in 2005. He told me no other barn in the world was rounder. He also told me much of his art was inspired by unidentified flying objects he saw from the second-story apartment over the gas station caddy-corner to the Round Barn.”
The UFO connection is preserved as Rich Williams’s recollection of Butch’s own explanation of the art—not as a joke and not as independently verified biography.
64 photographed works. Click to enlarge and zoom. Full-resolution source photos are available for personal, educational, and noncommercial printing.
The site icon is cropped from Butch’s handwritten capital B in “Breger,” not redrawn.
The official online Museum shop
Three original drawings from the Rich Williams Collection are now approved and available through Amazon Merch on Demand.
Illustrative shirt mockups use the approved artwork. Actual products, colors, scale and print may vary. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The road makes artists
A growing, carefully credited circle of artists and storytellers whose work helps people see the Mother Road differently. Links lead to each artist's official home whenever possible.
The wandering pen-and-ink cartographer of Route 66 turned the whole road into densely observed maps, postcards and visual stories. His vehicles and fiercely independent life became part of the road's mythology.
Explore Bob's official art catalog
Photo: Anna Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Image unmodified; linked license and source available on Wikimedia.
An Amarillo painter, Route 66 historian and gallery host, Crocodile Lile is also known for Cadilite jewelry made from layers of paint recovered from Cadillac Ranch.
Cadillac Ranch photograph from the Williams family Route 66 collection. A portrait is intentionally not reproduced until permission is documented.
Rich's all-time favorite Route 66 artist and storyteller is his dad. Chuck Williams connects all 66 books of the Bible with the towns, landmarks and people of Historic Route 66—Mother Road meeting Father Road.
Photographs and project artwork from the Williams family collection.
Route 66 News · The Oklahoman · KGOU · Arcadia Historical Society