Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural Description:

This is a 1 ½ story barn with entries from both the eave-side and the gable-side. The barn has two shed-roof additions- one on its eastern eave-façade and the other on the northern gable-façade. The southern gable-façade of the barn faces Fletcher Road with the ridge-line running north-south perpendicular to the road. The main façade of the barn appears to be the southern gable-façade with the original main entrance towards the west through an exterior-hung sliding wagon door as evident from the markings at the lintel level. The entrance is now boarded by vertical siding. The façade has four six-pane stable windows towards the west while the southern side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the eastern eave-façade of the barn can be seen flush towards the east. The southern gable-façade of the barn has a hinged hay door flanked between two triangular pane windows just below a distinct girt siding divide line that separates the gable attic above. A sign displaying the name of the barn ‘Twin Oaks Garage’ can be seen just above the girt siding divide line. The façade has a framed six-pane window just below the apex of the roof and a six-over-six double-hung sash window towards the east of the hay door. A similar six-over-six double-hung sash window can be seen centered on the southern side-wall of the shed-roof addition flush towards the east. The eastern eave-façade of the main barn has a shed-roof addition accomplishing the entire length. The eastern eave-façade of the shed-roof addition has two over-head garage doors towards the north. A hinged pass-through door followed by a six-over-six double-hung sash window can be seen towards the south of the façade. The façade has a metal sky-light insert at the center of the gable-roof of the main barn.
 
The wooden frame of the barn has green painted board-and-batten siding walls and asphalt shingles roofing. The southern gable-façade of the main barn has green painted vertical siding boarding the original main entrance. Brown wooden shingles can be seen on the eastern eave-façade of the shed-roof addition on the eastern eave-façade of the main barn.

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 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. 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. In this case the two styles are combined; both a gable entry and an eave entry are used.

Field Notes

Twin Oakes Garage: 1 barn

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• garage

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Shed

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The property is towards the north of Fletcher Road in a pre-dominantly residential area of rural character. It is surrounded by woodland towards the north and the west while an operational tobacco farm with a shed can be seen towards the north-west. There is a parcel of open land towards the east while a residential plot can be seen towards further east and the south of the porperty, across Fletcher Road.

The barn is towards the southern edge of the property with the main residence towards its north-west. It is approached by a drive-way towards its east and is surrounded by open land on all sides. Wooden fencing can be seen towards the west of the barn.

Building Typology

• English
• English/New England Hybrid

Materials

• Board & Batten
• Vertical Siding
• Wood Shingle

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Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

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Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

08/06/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field-notes provided by –
Walt Wojciehowski and Len Warburton

Assessors’ records information retrieved on August 4th, 2010 from website http://www.enfield-ct.gov/

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.