Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story, gable-roof, gable-entry barn (Barn I) to which another gable-roof, gable-entry barn (Barn II) was added to form an ell-shaped structure.  The main facade of Barn I faces east, and the ridge-line is perpendicular to West River Road, which at this point runs north-south. The main entrance is an over-sized, exterior sliding door that opens from the south corner. A hinged pass-through door with wrought iron hardware is located at the north corner of the east gable-facade of the barn.  Above is a hinged hay door, also with wrought iron hardware. In the center of the gable-attic is a six-pane, fixed-sash window with an exterior light mounted below and a pair of antlers mounted above.

The north eave-side of the barn has a stable window with trim near the west corner.  Attached to and flush with the west corner is a shed-roof addition (Addition I).  The eave of Addition I wraps around the north eave-side of Barn I.  The north gable-end of Addition I has a stable window with six panes. The west gable-end of Barn I is encompassed by Addition I at the main level. The west eave-side of the addition does not appear to have any openings.  The south eave-side of Barn I connects to the east corner of the north gable-end of Barn II to form a right angle. 

The north gable-end and the west eave-side of Barn II does not appear to have any openings. The south gable-end of Barn II has a shed-roof addition (Addition II) that encompasses the eastern three-quarters of the main level.  The south gable-end of Barn II appears to be blank.  The east gable-end of Addition II is flush with the east eave-side of Barn II.  At the north corner of the east side of Addition II is a hinged pass-through door with wrought iron hardware. The east eave-side of Barn II has a six-over-six double-hung window, located in the center.  Directly above and just below the eave is a hinged hay door with wrought iron hardware.  The south eave-side of Barn I has a double-hung window, located in the center.

The siding of both barns and Addition II is vertical flush-board painted white with dark green trim.  Addition I has unpainted vertical flush-board siding. The roofs have asphalt shingles with overhanging eaves. The foundation appears to be fieldstone.

Historical significance:

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. 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 built.

Field Notes

Accessibility Notes; Barn and House are approx. 30 feet off town road, paved driveway leading to garage. Field Notes; owner will be removing south shed Currently on a small house lot in Pleasant Valley- on the west branch of the Farmington River

Use (Historic)

• dairy

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Shed

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn sits on a 2-acre parcel of land on the west side of West River Road, in Barkhamsted, Litchfield County. The property is approximately two miles north of New Hartford center, and east of People’s State Forest.  The barn, and house built in 1835, are tucked into a clearing surrounded by woodland. Across the street, less than three-hundred feet to the east, flows the West Branch of the Farmington River. The area nearby is rural and heavily wooded, with pockets of residential land.

M/P 311310

Building Typology

• Chicken Coop
• New England

Materials

• Concrete Block
• Fieldstone
• Flush-board
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Post & Beam

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

24.5' x 31'& 25'x 25'

Date Compiled

03/25/2011

Compiled By

C. Wilkinson & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Paul Hart & John Greaser - 10/5/2010.

Town of Barkhamsted Assessor’s Record:
http://www.visionappraisal.com
Parcel ID:  311310

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 3/25/2011

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.