Brown's Turkey Farm (254 Mystic Road, North Stonington (Eastern Uplands))

Designations

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a multi-unit barn complex towards the west of Mystic Road comprising of a 2 ½ - story multi-bay T-shaped cross-gambrel roof barn with entries from both the gable-end and the eave-side. The ridge line of the main arm of the barn, Arm-I runs east-west perpendicular to Mystic Road while that of the cross-gambrel arm, Arm-II runs north-south. The west eave-side of Arm-II has a shed-roof addition encompassing its entire length while a small gable-roof addition can be seen on its east eave-side. The north eave-side of Arm-I is connected to two cylindrical silos by a semi-open shed-roof addition.

The east gable-end of Arm-I facing Mystic Road is the main façade of the complex with the main entrance off-centered towards the north through a pair of exterior-hung sliding doors with eight-pane window inserts. The façade has a second entrance towards the south through an exterior-hung hooded sliding pass-through door with an eight-pane window insert, separated from the main entrance by a nine-pane square window. The second floor level of the façade has an exterior-hung X-braced sliding hay door at the center and a square window insert towards the extreme north. The hay door is flanked by six-over-six double-hung sash windows with higher lintel levels . The gable attic has returning eaves with a pair of top-hung X-braced sliding hay doors with the shape taking after the profile of the apex of the roof which projects out to form a hay hood. A hay track can also be seen projecting out from the façade just below the apex of the roof. The main west gable-façade of Arm-I has a band of un-coursed mortared stone masonry along the grade level which wraps the barn complex on all sides. The south eave-side of Arm-I towards the east of the cross gable arm has two equally spaced nine-pane windows and a shed-roof twelve-pane dormer window centered on the roof. The east eave-side of Arm-II has two entrances towards either side and a gable-roof addition towards the extreme south. Each entrance on the east eave-side is through an exterior-hung hooded sliding pass-through door with eight-pane window inserts. The two entrances are separated by five nine-pane windows with two windows closed placed towards the north and the remaining three windows closely placed towards the south. The east eave-side of the barn has two shed-roof twelve-pane dormer windows, one each towards either side. The gambrel-roof of the main arm, Arm-I has a tri-partite louvered cupola at the center while two steel ventilators can be seen along the ridge line of the cross gable arm, Arm-II.

The wooden frame of the T-shaped barn complex is supported on un-coursed mortared stone masonry foundation. The barn complex has asphalt shingle roofing and white painted horizontal clapboard siding walls.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn is 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 as both types continued to be constructed.
The gambrel roof enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses that did not require cross beams, which would interfere with the movement and storage of hay. Also known as the curb roof, the double slopes of the gambrel offer more volume in the hayloft without increasing the height of the side walls.

By the early 20th century agricultural engineers developed a new approach to dairy barn design: the ground-level stable barn, to reduce the spread of tuberculosis bacteria by improving ventilation, lighting, and reducing the airborne dust of manure. A concrete slab typically serves as the floor for the cow stables. Many farmers converted manure basements in older barns into ground-level stables with concrete floors. Some older barns were jacked up and set on new first stories to allow sufficient headroom. With the stables occupying the entire first story, the space above serves a a hayloft. By the 1920s most ground-level stable barns were being constructed with lightweight balloon frames using two-by-fours or two-by-sixes for most of the timbers. Novelty or tongue-and-groove beveled siding is common on the walls, although asbestos cement shingles also were a popular sheathing. Some barns have concrete for the first-story walls, either poured in place or built up out of blocks.
The gambrel roof design was universally accepted as it enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses.
Also see entry for Pole Barn.

Concrete silos were sometimes poured in place in one piece, but the more common practice was to pour large interlocking rings that were then stacked, or vertical concrete planks. As with wooden stave silos, the structures are held together with adjustable steel hoops, spaced about fifteen inches apart. Since concrete does not expand and contract with changes in moisture levels, the hoops on concrete stave silos were usually tightened only once after the structure was built. Inside, these silos are coated with a cement wash. In the mid-20th century, a system of metal panelized silos became the most advanced technology for silo construction, until silos were rendered obsolete by the current method of plastic shrink-wrapping.

Field Notes

Listed on the State Register of Historic Places 6/04/2014. This gambrel-roof barn was built on top of the foundation of a c. 1832 dairy barn that was destroyed by fire. Across the street, at 255 Mystic Road, are three historic barns that were built c. 1832, and are part of Brown's Turkey Farm.

Use (Historic)

dairy

Use (Present)

poultry

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The 240.69 acres property, the land with outbuildings, Account number- B1790100 and Parcel number- 107-6171 is located towards the west of Mystic Road bordering the town limits of North Southington and Southington. The property is located in a area of rural character with farmhouses and farm land separated by dense woodland. Barns and farmland can be seen towards the east of the property across Mystic Road while dense woodland covers the area towards the north, west and the south.

The multi-unit barn complex is located in the southeast corner of the property, abutting to Mystic Road. The ridge line of the main arm of the T-shaped cross-gambrel roof barn, Arm-I runs east-west perpendicular to Mystic Road while that of the cross-gambrel arm, Arm-II runs north-south. Two cylindrical silos can be seen towards the immediate north of the barn complex. A large gable-entry gable-roof barn is located towards the northwest of the main barn complex with its ridge line also running north-south. The property is dotted with water bodies and streams with open land towards the immediate north of the building complex. Farm land can also be seen at the center of the property and towards the northeast while the rest of the area is covered by dense woodland.

Building Typology

Materials

Structural System

Roof materials

Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

Approximate Dimensions

35' x 75' and 35' x 70'

Date Compiled

06/22/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Lynn Friedman.

Additional photographs and field notes by Kristen Young - 3/14/2013.

Assessors information and GIS map retrieved on June 26th, 2011 from the website http://www.northstoningtongis.com/

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 26th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 26th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 26th, 2011 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.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Barn Record North Stonington