Elm Farm (137 Dugg Hill Road, Woodstock (Eastern Uplands))

Designations

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 ½ story gable-roofed barn with two gable-roofed additions and one shed-roofed addition. The main façade of the main barn structure faces south with its ridge line running parallel to Dugg Hill Road, which runs north-south. A 1 ½ story gable-roofed addition extends west off of the southern-most half of the west eave-side of the main barn. A shed-roofed addition is located on the north half of the west eave-side of the main barn. A second gable-roofed addition is located on the east half of the north gable-end of the main barn and is connected to a second gable-roofed barn, with its ridge line running east-west. The south gable-façade of the barn, facing the house it is associated with, has three-bays. The main entry is a large interior hung sliding barn door located in the center bay and opening at grade on the main level. The center bay sliding barn door has a central weather door flanked by two six-pane windows. A third eight-pane window is located above the weather door. A twelve-light transom expands the length of the center bay sliding barn door on the south gable-façade of the main barn. The eastern-most half of the east bay of the south gable-façade has an exterior hung sliding barn door with a six-pane window. The west bay of the south gable-façade is blank. A pair of windows is located in the gable attic of the south gable-façade. The east window is twelve-pane and the west window is boarded up. The grade drops at the southeast corner of the main barn where a fieldstone retaining wall is visible to the south and west of the first gable-roofed addition. The gable-roofed addition’s south eave-façade has three bays. The east and center bays are open bays on the basement level. The west bay is a pair of swinging hinged barn doors with original hardware. The main level of the gable-roofed addition’s south eave-façade has a pair of six-pane windows in the center bay and a pair of six-pane windows in the eastern most half of the east bay. The west gable-end of the first gable-roofed addition is blank except for a siding divide line between the basement and main levels and a girt siding divide line. The west eave-side of the main barn on the basement level has a bank of four pairs of six-pane windows extending from the northeast corner of the gable-roofed addition to the center of the main barn, where the grade slopes to the north. In the center of the first level on the west eave-side of the main barn has a various series of six-pane windows. Located in various spots on the south half of the west eave-side of the main barn are three six-pane windows. The west side of the shed-roofed addition has three equally spaced six-pane windows. The west eave-side of the gable-roofed connection to the second barn has two vertical windows. The north eave-side of the gable-roofed addition has a small window on the west bay immediately under the roof eave. The north side of the shed-roofed addition has a pair of swinging hinged barn doors. The north gable-end of the main barn has a large interior hung sliding barn door located in the center bay and opening at grade on the main level. The center bay sliding barn door has two equally distanced windows. A transom expands the length of the center bay sliding barn door on the north gable-end of the main barn. A pair of windows is located in the gable attic of the north gable-end. The main barn and west gable-roofed addition has weathered vertical siding that is unpainted, except for the sliding barn doors on the main level of the south gable-facade. The south shed-roofed addition is board and batten siding painted red with window trim painted white. The roofs are asphalt shingles.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn was the successor to the English barn and relies on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offers many practical advantages. Roofs drain off the side, rather than flooding the dooryard. With the main drive floor running parallel to the ridge, the size of the barn could be increased to accommodate larger herds by adding additional bays to the rear gable end. Although it was seen by many as an improvement over the earlier side-entry English Barn, the New England barn did not replace its predecessor but rather coexisted with it. The 19th century also saw the introduction of a basement under the barn to allow for the easy
collection and storage of a winter’s worth of manure from the animals sheltered within the building. The bank barn is characterized by the location of its main floor above grade, either through building on a hillside or by raising the building on a foundation. This innovation, aided by the introduction of windows for light and ventilation, would eventually be joined by the introduction of space to shelter more animals under the main floor of the barn.

Field Notes

Listed on the State Register of Historic Places 2014. This is an extremely well-preserved example of a mid-19th century barn. It has many original features including a slaughter wheel (with ropes and hooks still in place), a wooden hoist, and an interior silo (most likely a later addition). It is still being used in an active commercial farm. The farm is currently being run by the seventh generation of the same family to work this land. This barn is #84 on the Old Sturbridge address.village Survey. The barn complex and 18th century house make a strong statement about a single family's commitment to the land. The 19th century barn has grown organically over time to include a number of modern additions. Negative Source #: 33-94 Barn Form: gable entrance basement barn, drive thru Addition(s): ell, shed Roof Form: 20" rafter overhang, double plate Roof Pitch (Gable): depressed Sheathing: vertical Siding: Doors: roll Windows: double row over dor Foundation: Bent Type (ala Glassie): Roof Frame: ridgepole rafters pole Framed Elements: hewed, oak

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

No

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the north of the c. 1755 Colonial-style house it is associated with. To the northeast of the main barn is the second barn which extends to the east. To the north, east and south are several barn outbuildings. Extending further to the north, east and south are open fields and woodland. The total size of the site is 1.25 acres.

Building Typology

New England Bank

Materials

Approximate Dimensions

90x33.5

Date Compiled

02/26/2011

Compiled By

A. Ehrgott & T. Levine; reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by James Sexton, PhD date - 8/24/2006

Town of Woodstock Assessor’s Record: http://data.visionappraisal.com/WoodstockCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=3189.
Parcel ID: P0302100

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 02/26/2011.

Mott, John A., White, Frank G.; Barns of New England, Old Sturbridge Village Research Paper, Negative 40-166, 1978.

Sexton, James, PhD, Survey Narrative of the Connecticut Barn, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Hamden, CT, 2005, http://www.connecticutbarns.org/history.

Visser, Thomas D., Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, University Press of New England, 1997.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Barn Record Woodstock