Old Maids Farm (1099 Tryon Street, Glastonbury (Central Valley))

Designations

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story eave-entry two-aisle seven-bent tobacco shed with a semi-open shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of its south eave-side. The ridge line of the shed runs east-west parallel to Tryon Street. The north six-bay eave-side of the tobacco shed facing the road is the main façade with two main entrances, one each in the first and the fifth bay from the east. Each main entrance to the shed is through a pair of X-braced hinged wagon doors with blacksmith hardware. A signboard displaying the shed number as ‘15’ is centered in the third bay from the east. The tobacco shed has a system of ventilation through the vertical siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the sides to open like tall narrow doors, each held in place by its own hook. The shed has additional floor ventilation through the vertical siding along the grade level. The east gable-end of the tobacco shed also has the system of ventilation through the vertical siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the sides to open like tall narrow doors, each held in place by its own hook. A side-pivot awning window can be seen centered in the gable attic while the shed has additional floor ventilation from the siding along the grade level. The east side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the south eave-side of the shed is flush with the east gable-end.

The wooden frame of the tobacco shed is supported on concrete footings. The shed has vertical siding and metal roofing.

A 1 ½ - story three-bay eave-entry barn with a salt-box roof addition encompassing the entire length of its east eave-side is located towards the west of the tobacco shed. The ridge line of the barn runs north-south also parallel to Tryon Street but perpendicular to Old Maid Lane. The three bay west eave-side of the barn facing Tyron Street is the main façade of the barn with the main wagon door entrance in the middle bay.
The wooden frame of the barn has vertical siding and appears to have asphalt shingle roofing.

Historical significance:

The tobacco barn, or shed as it is called in the Connecticut River Valley, is one of the most distinctive of the single-crop barns. They tend to be long, low windowless buildings with pitched roofs. They are characterized by vented sides to regulate air flow and allow harvested tobacco to cure at the appropriate rate. Derived initially from the design of the English barn, the shed is composed of a fixed skeleton consisting of two- or three-aisle bents repeated at intervals of 15 feet to the desired length. The wood-framed bents sit on piers of stone or concrete and the bents are connected by girts and diagonal braces. Typically there are two doors at each end, making the shed a “drive-through,” although some sheds are accessed through doors on the sides. The interior structural framework serves a second purpose in addition to supporting the walls and roof of the building; it provides a framework for the rails used to hang the tobacco as it cures.

Tobacco shed wall ventilation is accomplished with one of four different systems (more than one method may be utilized in a single shed):

a) Vertical slats - siding in which every second board is hinged at the top and tilted out at the bottom by means of a horizontal cleat, that lifts several boards at once, and metal prop hooks to hold the boards in place;

b) Side slats - Vertical siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the sides to open like tall narrow doors, each held in place by its own hook;

c) Less commonly, horizontal siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the top edge and open like long narrow awnings; this system may be employed along the lower edge of the wall in conjunction with vertical or side slats;

d) A series of large doors along one of the long sides of the building with the other sides of the building vented by one or more of the other methods.

e) The tobacco sheds can have additional ventilation through side-pivot awning vents on the gable-ends, which co-exist with one or more of the above four systems of ventilation.

Although some sheds lack roof ventilation, commonly there is either a series of small ventilators at the ridgeline, or a continuous ridge vent formed by raising the roof structure for a width of up to about 24 inches along the ridge. Alternately, rectangular openings in the attic gable-ends may have pivoting shutters.

Field Notes

Listed on the State Register of Historic Places 10/02/2013. 1974 stopped producing tobacco 20 c tobacco C1880-1920 / early 1800s he thinks Later leanto addon 1950s Look like either moved or lifted or both Original cedar purloins are intact 2000 new tin roof Concrete floor Alterations to improve tobacco production Addon at the 4th bent 1938 =

Use (Historic)

tobacco

Use (Present)

agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The 22.2 acres property, property number - 72001099 and property ID - 4710, is a corner plot located towards the west of Tyron Street and the south of Old Maid Lane. Tyron Street dissects the property separating its western frontage to Connecticut River. The property is situated bordering the town limits of Glastonbury, Portland and Cromwell in a predominantly residential area of rural character. Dense woodland can be seen towards the south-east, east and the north of the property across Old Maid Lane while parcels of open land can be seen towards the south. A residential plot is located towards the northwest of the property while Connecticut Rivers flows along the western edge of the property.

The tobacco shed is located towards the southwest corner of the property with its ridge line running east-west parallel to the road. The 1 ½ - story eave-entry barn with the salt-box roof addition is located towards the west of the shed with its ridge line running north-south. The circa 1800 multifamily main residence is located in the south-west corner of the plot abutting to Tryon Street. The ridge line of the main residence runs east-west, almost perpendicular to the road. A green house is located towards the south of the tobacco shed while a small gable roof shed can be seen towards its northwest. A red painted steel water tank and another gable-roof shed with its ridge line running east-west is located towards the southwest of the shed. Two other small gable-roof sheds can also be seen towards the east of the greenhouse. The property has parcels of farmland with active agriculture towards the north and the east.

Building Typology

Tobacco Shed

Materials

Approximate Dimensions

Tobacco Shed: 1444 SqFt; Barn: 1584 SqFt; Farm Stand: 128 SqFt; Garage: 360 SqFt; Pump House: 144 SqFt; Shed: 100 SqFt; Shed: 1216 SqFt; Shed: 1600 SqFt;

Date Compiled

02/15/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field notes provided by Todd Levine.

Assessors’ records and GIS Map retrieved on February 15th , 2011 from website http://gis.glastonbury-ct.gov/ceo/ and http://ceo.fando.com

GIS information retrieved on February 15th, 2011 from website http://www.crcog.org

Photograph/Information retrieved on February 11th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on February 11th, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com

O’Gorman, James F., Connecticut Valley Vernacular: the Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, 144 pages.

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 Glastonbury