Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• State Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story three-bay eave-entry barn with a shed-roof addition on its north eave-side. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west almost parallel to the road. The main façade of the barn is the south eave-façade with the main entrance oriented away from the road. The west gable-side of the barn has an entrance towards the southern edge through a hinged pass-through door. Eight four-pane stable windows can be seen equally spaced towards the north of the pass-through door. The gable attic above is separated from the rest of the gale-side by a distinct dropped girt siding divide line and appears to have a pair of hinged hay doors just below the apex of the roof. The west side-wall of the shed-roof addition is flush with the west gable-side of the main barn and has an interior-hung sliding wagon door at the center. A six-pane stable window with a higher lintel level can be seen towards the south of the sliding wagon door entrance while a large square window opening can be seen towards the north. 
The wooden frame of the barn is supported on cement plastered masonry foundation. The barn has vertical siding on walls and asphalt shingle roofing.

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

Listed on the State Register of Historic Places 12/04/2013. An English Barn built around 1830. Hand hewn timbers. Converted to a dairy barn in the 1930's. Newer one of two barns. Fair shape. Two story. Three bay. The google map shows an additional gable-roof barn immediately towards the north-west of the main barn which appears to be a recent addition.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 17.23 acres property, parcel number - G0112300 and map number -115, is located towards the south of Mica Hill Road.
The property is located in a predominantly residential area of rural character, separated from the surrounding plots by dense woodland. Residential plots can be seen towards the south of the property while parcels of open land can be seen towards the north, across Mica Hill Road. Dense woodland covers the area towards the west of the property.

The barn is located towards the eastern edge of the property, offset from the road. The circa 1850 colonial main residence is located towards further north-west of the barn abutting to Mica Hill Road. The ridge line of the main barn runs east-west parallel to the road while that of the main residence runs north-south. A 1 1/2- story gable-entry barn with a shed-roof addition on its west gable-side is located towards the north-west of the min barn. The ridge line of the second barn runs east-west parallel to the road. Two small gable-roof sheds can be seen towards the south-east of the second barn. A water body is located in the north-eastern corner of the property with dense woodland along the eastern edge. Parcels of farm land with active agriculture can be seen towards the south and the east of the property.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 1120 SqFt, Circa 1900 Shed: 285 SqFt, Circa 1930 Barn: 840 SqFt, Circa 1890 Shed: 336 SqFt, Circa 1890 Shed: 359 SqFt, Circa 1890 Shed: 224 SqFt, Circa 1900

Date Compiled

12/13/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field-notes provided by – Randy McLean

Assessors’ records retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://durham.univers-clt.com

Map and property records retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://www.townofdurhamct.org

Photograph/Information retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://www.google.com

Information retrieved by CH on September 1st , 2010 from website http://www.zillow.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.