Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a barn complex towards the north of Depot Street consisting of Barn–I at the center, Barn-II intersecting Barn-I at its north-west corner, Barn-III towards the north of Barn-I and two corn cribs towards the north-west: Crib-I towards the north and Crib-II towards the south.

Barn-II: This is a 2 ½ - story eave-entry barn with its gable-roof intersecting the gable-roof of Barn-I at its northwest corner. The south gable-side of the barn faces Depot Street while its ridge line runs north-south perpendicular to the road. The main façade of Barn-II is the east eave-façade with the main entrance at the center. The south gable-side of the barn has a hinged pass-through door towards the east with white frame and four six-pane stable windows equally spaced towards the west. The second floor level of the south gable-side has a pair of hinged hay doors at the center with white frame.  Another pair of hinged hay doors can be seen centered in the gable attic taking the profile of the pitch-roof with a hay track projecting out just below the apex of the roof. The west eave-side of the barn appears to have a square window centered at the first floor level.
The wooden frame of the barn is supported on cement foundation and asphalt shingle roofing. The barn has red painted wood shingles with white painted corner boards.

Barn-III: This is a 1 – story eave-entry barn towards the north of Barn-I. The south eave-side of Barn-III facing Depot Street is the main façade of the barn while its ridge line runs east-west parallel to the road. The wooden frame of the barn has red painted vertical siding. The barn is in advance state of dilapidation with collapsing roof and missing vertical siding.

Corn cribs- I & II: These are two small cribs with slanted side-walls towards the north-east of Barn-I with Crib-I towards the north and Crib-II towards the south. The ridge line of Crib-I runs east-west parallel to Depot Street while that of Crib-II runs north-south. The wooden frames of the two cribs are supported on concrete footings and have asphalt roofing. Crib-II has vertical siding on the south gable-side and clapboard siding on the east eave-side. The two cribs are in advance state of dilapidation.

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.

In the middle of the 19th century, growing “Indian” corn became popular. Storing the corn on the cob in well-ventilated corn cribs allowed the kernels to dry without spoiling. The distinctively shaped corn crib, with slanted side walls built of spaced wooden slats, became common by the 1860s. The overhanging eaves and slanted walls helped prevent rain from splashing inside. Vertical side walls are also common. Corn cribs are typically set high above the ground on wooden or stone posts.

Field Notes

Also see Part - 1/2 : http://www.connecticutbarns.org/index.cgi/19946

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

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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 81.8 acres property, Map Number - 27 53 005, is a corner plot towards the north of Depot Street and the west of East Road. The property is situated in a pre-dominantly residential area of rural character. Residential plots can be seen towards the west and the south of the property across Depot Street while dense woodland surrounds the property towards its west. Parcels of farmland can be seen towards the north and south of the property.

The barn complex is located in the south-western corner of the property abutting to Depot Street. A patch of dense woodland can be seen towards the north of the barn complex while open land can be seen towards further north. Parcels of farm land with active agriculture can be seen towards the eastern edge of the property along East Road. Dense woodland also covers the north-eastern corner of the property.

The barn complex consists of the 1 ½- story gable-entry barn with the shed-roof addition on its east eave-side and a gable-roof addition on its south-west corner, Barn–I, at the center. The 2 ½ - story eave-entry barn, Barn-II, can be seen intersecting the main barn, Barn-I, at its north-west corner. The complex includes a stand-alone 1 – storey eave-entry barn towards the north of Barn-I while two corn cribs can be seen towards the north-west: Crib-I towards the north and Crib-II towards the south.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Clapboard
• Vertical Siding
• Wood Shingle

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Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Gable

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Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 1512 SqFt, Circa 1920 Barn: 480 SqFt, Circa 1920 Barn: 1080 SqFt, Circa 1920 Barn: 728 SqFt, Circa 1920 Shed: 576 SqFt, Circa 1920

Date Compiled

11/19/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by:
Jessica Bottomley.

Assessors’ records retrieved on November 19th, 2010 from website http://www.equalitycama.com/ 

GIS information retrieved on November 19th, 2010 from website http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

Photograph/Information retrieved on November 19th, 2010 from website http://www.google.com

Information retrieved on November 19th, 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.