Building Name (Common)

Nathan Hale Homestead Barns

Building Name (Historic)

Nathan Hale Homestead / Deacon Richard Hale Barns

Address

2299 South Street
Coventry

Typology

• English
• English/New England Hybrid

 

Designations

• National Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

Barn I:

This is a tall 1 ½-story three-bay gable-roofed structure with its ridge-line oriented north-south. The main entry is a pair of hinged outswinging barn doors with wrought iron strap hinges, located in the center bay of the west eave-side. Grade is close to the main floor level and slopes down slightly toward the south, exposing a few courses of unmortared fieldstone foundation. The left (north) bay has two small six-pane stable windows. The lower section of the vertical siding of this facade appears to have been patched. There is an indication in the siding above the doors of an earlier hood or sliding door hardware.

The south gable-end is featureless except for a small vent just under the apex and a louvered vent in the unmortared fieldstone foundation. The east eave-side is blank except for one or two boarded-up stable windows off-center toward the right (north) and a small sliding door in the center bay. The north gable-end has a vent under the peak of the attic and also a hooded sliding door on the left (east) corner at the ground level. A wood ramp for visitor access leads to this door. The lower half of the siding appears to have been replaced on the north gable-end. Siding is vertical boards stained red. The roof has no overhangs and is wood shingles.

Barn II:

This is a shorter 1 ½-story three-bay gable-roofed structure with its ridge-line oriented east-west. It has a shed-roofed addition along the west half of the south eave-side, nearly abutting the northeast corner of Barn I, forming a barnyard to the southeast. The north eave-side has an exterior sliding barn door in the center bay with its head track extending to the left (west) bay. To the right (east) is a two-pane stable window and above the door is a hay mow door. The west gable-end has a horizontal five-pane window that appears to be a re-used transom, located off-center toward the right (south) at the elevation of a pass-through door head. There is a six-pane attic window. The west end of the shed-roofed addition has some indication of patching or previous openings.

The south eave-side of the addition has a concrete foundation and two pairs of hinged doors covering openings in the ground floor level. Above are two hay doors. The right (east) bay of the south eave-side of the main structure has an opening toward the left and a hay door in the loft level. Several courses of stone or concrete masonry foundation are exposed. The east gable-end is blank at the ground level and has an attic window opening near the peak.

Historical significance:

The oldest barns still found in the state are called the "English Barn,” "side-entry barn,, or a "30 x 40." It is a simple building with a rectangular plan, pitched roof, and a door or doors located on one or both of the eave sides of the building based on the grain warehouses of the English colonists' homeland. The name “30 by 40” originates from its size, which was large enough for 1 family and could service about 100 acres. The multi-purpose use of the English barn is reflected by the building's construction in three distinct bays - one for each use. The middle bay was used for threshing, which is separating the seed from the stalk in wheat and oat by beating the stalks with a flail. The flanking bays would be for animals and hay storage.

Swinging hinged doors on English barns are usually original, as sliding doors weren't widely used until the mid 19th century. Barn footings and foundations were usually built of stone, often harvested from nearby fields or quarried from local outcroppings.

The earliest type of field stone foundations found in Connecticut do not use mortar, as early builders thought it unnecessary.

Historical background:

The Nathan Hale Homestead was the home of the family of State Hero, Nathan Hale. Constructed in 1776, the current house is the second dwelling built on the property. Nathan’s father, Richard Hale, was a prosperous livestock farmer and built the house for his large family. Six of Richard’s eight sons served in the patriot army. One son, Captain Nathan Hale, was caught and hanged as a spy at age 21 by the British in September of 1776. Although sold out of the Hale family in the 1820s, the house has remained virtually intact. The house was first restored by George Dudley Seymour, who saved it in the early 20th century. The house was deeded to Connecticut Landmarks (Antiquarian & Landmarks Society) in the 1940s. Much of the acreage associated with the Hale farm, is now the Nathan Hale State Forest.

Field Notes

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 10/22/1970. Museum seasonally open to the public, farmer's market on site.

For its historical associations alone, national in significance this property is outstanding without considering its architectural distinction, which is noteworthy. It is not the birthplace of the Revolutionary War hero, said to have stood near the east side of the present building constructed in the year of Hale's death, 1776. Part of the earlier structure is reputed to have been incorporated into the 26-foot ell added to his large new house by Nathan’s father, Deacon Richard Hale, an adjunct later extended to 106 feet and a striking feature of the present structure. Since a single central chimney could hardly have served the rooms in so large a building, two of considerable size rise through the roof peak … There are extensive grounds, outbuildings, and stone walls that contribute to the attractive setting of this shrine to a national hero (Darbee, p. 2).