Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ story four-bay eave-entry barn with its eastern gable-façade facing West Elm Street, Route 80. The ridge-line of the barn runs east-west perpendicular to the road. The main façade of the barn is the northern four-bay eave-façade with the main entrance in the second bay from the east through a pair of double-height hinged wagon doors. The façade has a second entrance in the first bay from the east through a hinged pass-through door with a lintel trim.  The northern eave-façade of the barn has a semi-open gable-roof addition on the first bay from the west. The four-bay southern eave-façade of the barn has two shed-roof additions- one on the first bay from the east and the other covering the first bay and the second bay from the west. The shed-roof addition towards the east with wood shingles appears to be original while the shed-roof towards the west appears to be a later addition. The southern eave-side of the shed-roof addition towards the west has a band of five-windows just below the eave line. The southern eave-façade of the shed-roof addition towards the east has a similar window towards the west and a pass-through door towards the east. The eastern side-façade of the shed-roof addition towards the east has a similar window at the center and is flush with the eastern gable-façade of the main barn. The eastern gable-façade of the main barn has a distinct dropped girt siding divide line separating the gable attic above. The façade has a framed four-pane window just below the apex of the roof.
The wooden frame of the barn has metal roofing and red-painted wooden shingles on walls.

The gable-roof addition on the main northern eave-façade of the barn has two open bays on it eastern eave-side. The northern gable-side of the gable-roof addition has a distinct dropped girt siding divide line separating the gable attic above. The wooden frame of the gable-roof addition has metal roofing and red-painted vertical siding walls.

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

- 4-bay English barn with shed additions - not currently used for animals - shingle siding - new roof on main barn [Source: Sara and Bruce Dodson]

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Scattered Buildings

Relationship to surroundings

The property is towards the west of West Elm Street, Route 80. The western edge of the property is flanked by two connecting water bodies. A farmland with active agriculture can be seen towards the south of the property.

The barn is located towards the western edge of the property with the main residence towards its north-east. A drive-way can be seen towards the south of the main residence leading to the barn. Two 1 1/2 story gable-roof out-buildings can be seen towards the south-east of the barn, abutting to Route 80. A cluster of sheds and other out-buildings can be seen towards the north of the northern eave-façade of the barn.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Vertical Siding
• Wood Shingle

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Metal

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

07/15/2010

Compiled By

T. Levine and M. Patnaik, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs and information provided by –
Sara and Bruce Dodson, sgdodson@hotmail.com

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.