Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story eave-entry barn with a gable-roof.  A shed-roof addition is attached to this barn on the southwest gable-end.  The barn is located at a 45-degree angle to School Street, which passes this located on an east to west alignment.  The primary façade of this barn is the southeast eave-side, which faces the house on this property.

The primary façade is the southeast eave-side.  The main entries on this side consist of an over-size sliding wood-plank door in the east corner, and an overhead panel garage door located in the western half of this side.  A small rectangular window is located to the immediate west of the overhead garage door.  The northeast gable-end fronts School Street, its north corner is almost on top of the road right-of-way.  A large square hay-door with hinges is mounted beneath the roof ridgeline, slightly off-center.  No other openings are present on this gable-end.  The northwest eave-side is blank.  The southwest gable-end is primarily occupied by a 1-story partial-width shed-roof addition.  The south corner of the main barn is exposed, and includes a vertical four-pane window.  A portion of the gable-attic is also exposed on this end which contains an off-center 1-pane rectangular window. 
The addition is a 1-story partial-width structure with a shed-roof, oriented perpendicular to the main barn.  The northwest gable-end of this addition features a single square hay-door near the northwest corner.  The southwest eave-side contains two horizontal four-pane windows, symmetrically placed, and a metal stove-pipe located near the west corner.  Located on the southeast gable-end is a pass-through entry door at the south corner, beside which is a square window opening.  A square one-pane window is located beneath the roofline near where this end meets the main barn.  A shed roof extends to the southeast from the northeast gable-end of the addition, supported by corner posts.

The exterior of this barn and addition is clad in vertical wooden flush-board siding, painted red.  The roof appears to be covered with asphalt shingles.  A small cupola is centered on the roof ridgeline.  It contains a square four-pane window in each of the four sides.  It is topped by a gable-roof and also painted red.

Historical significance:

The oldest barns still found in the state are called the “English Barn,” “side-entry barn,” “eave entry,” or a 30 x 40. They are simple buildings with rectangular plan, pitched gable 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 (in feet), 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.

Field Notes

Built in 1880; recently restored. 7 School Street is also referenced as 113 Huckleberry Hill Road - owner recently changed address to around the corner Historical: The present owner recently restored the barn, using many of the original beams, which still have bark on them. See older photo pre-restoration. One of the beams has "1880" inscribed into it.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• workspace

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Cupola

Environment features

• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

This barn is located along School Street, just west of the intersection with Huckleberry Hill Road.  The barn is situated at a 45-degree angle to both roads, but the north corner of the barn is directly adjacent to the right-of-way for School Street.  The main entry faces the house associated with this property, and therefore away from the road, but it is connected to School Street via a short gravel driveway which extends along the length of the barn façade.  Huckleberry Hill Road is an important route through Avon and is lined with dwellings on both sides.  School Street is a side-street and has fewer dwellings.  A woodland is located to the immediate west of the barn.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Flush-board
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Flat barn 24 x 28 672 square feet

Date Compiled

06/03/2011

Compiled By

N. Nietering & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs by Alan & Tina Cloutier and Liz Neff.

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, 213 pages.

Map of Avon, CT, retrieved on June 3, 2011 from website www.bing.com/maps.

Avon Assessor’s Records - Avon Assessor’s Office Real Estate Property Information online - http://www.avonassessor.com/