Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• Local Historic District
• State Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a two barn complex towards the west of Pepper Street comprising of a bank barn in the southeast corner of the property and a coop in the northwest corner. The ridge lines of both the barn and the coop run east-west, parallel to each other but perpendicular to Pepper Street.

Barn: This is a 1 ½ - story gable-entry bank barn. The east gable-end of the barn facing the road is the main façade with the main entrance centered at the bank level through an over-head garage door. The bank level has un-coursed field stone masonry walls which continues towards either side to retain the loose earth along the driveway. The first floor level of the barn has a six-pane window with trim at the center while the gable attic is separated by a distinct girt siding divide line. The grade level along the north-eave-side of the barn gradually rises towards the west along the field stone masonry of the bank which has a three-pane window off-centered towards the east. The first floor level on the north eave-side of the barn has a two-pane window towards the east while the eave is lined by projecting rafter tails. The west gable-end of the barn has a hinged pass-through door towards the extreme south and a six-pane window off-centered towards the north. A small sliding door with side tracks can be seen below the six-pane window while a margin of mortared field stone masonry of the bank can be seen along the grade level. The gable attic is separated by a distinct girt siding divide line with stick style ornamentation just below the apex of the roof. The south eave-side of the barn has four four-pane windows equally spaced below the eave-level which is lined by projecting rafter tails. The grade level along the south eave-side gradually declines towards the east along the field stone masonry of the bank level which has a two-pane window off-centered towards the east.

The wooden frame of the barn is supported on un-coursed mortared field-stone masonry that continues to form the bank. The barn has asphalt shingle roofing and red painted vertical siding with trim and projecting rafter tails.

Coop: This is a 1 ½ - story low-pitch gable-roof gable-entry coop with a bank. The east gable-end of the coop facing the road appears to be the main façade with the main entrance at the center through a hinged pass-through door with wire mesh. The façade appears to have a second entrance towards the extreme north The grade level along the east gable-façade drops towards the south of the main entrance with the lose earth retained by un-coursed mortared field stone masonry foundation. The bank level has a hinged pass-through door towards the south accessed by a concrete ramp while two six-pane windows can be seen towards the north. The bank level of the south eave-side of the coop has two modules of three closely windows. Each module has a single-pane window at the center flanked by a four-pane window on either side. The first floor level of the south eave-side of the coop has two two-pane windows of different sizes with the larger window towards the extreme west while a four-pane window can be seen off-centered towards the west.

The wooden frame of the coop is supported on field stone masonry foundation and the concrete block masonry of the bank level. The barn has asphalt shingle roofing and red painted vertical siding walls. 

Historical description:

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.
The 19th century also saw the introduction of a basement under the barn to allow for the easy collection and storage of a winter’s worth of manure from the animals sheltered within the building. The bank barn is characterized by the location of its main floor above grade, either through building on a hillside or by raising the building on a foundation.
This innovation, aided by the introduction of windows for light and ventilation, would eventually be joined by the introduction of space to shelter more animals under the main floor of the barn.

Poultry farming grew in popularity during the second half of the 19th century, and by the early 20th century most farms had small chicken coops. These lightly-built structures often feature a gabled or shed roof and large windows on the south side. Often chicken coops have a small stove and chimney for heat to protect young chicks during cold weather. Small openings near the ground provide the fowl with access to the yard. Inside are nesting boxes for the laying hens. During the 1930s and 1940s, poultry farming was adopted by many farmers in New England as a replacement for dairy farming.

Some poultry farms have brooder houses built especially for incubating and raising young. These are often located in sunny sites. Inside are heated pens for the chicks. To provide for continuous production, some brooder houses have numerous pens to keep the various age groups segregated.

Field Notes

circa 1927 Brooder bank barn and Chicken House with vertical siding, asphalt roof shingles and three over three windows. The lower level was probably used as a cold-cellar and later a garage door was added to accommodate a vehicle. Chicks were hatched in this barn and eggs were cleaned and sorted for sale. Note the small lift door in the rear of the Brooder House to let the chicks out to feed on natural grit. When they were old enough to be on their own chicks were moved into the Chicken House. Poultry was a primary agricultural product in the Stepney area of Monroe during this era. Located in the Stepney Local Historic District.

Use (Historic)

• poultry

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Scattered Buildings
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 3.44 acres property, Account number – 04700800 and Map-Block-Lot number - 047 008 00, is located towards the west of Pepper Street The property is situated in a low density residential area of rural character. Residential plots flank the property towards the north, south and the east across the road while the area towards the west is covered by dense woodland.

The barn is located in the southeast corner of the property abutting to the driveway while the circa 1927 Cape style main residence is located towards its north. The coop is located towards the northeast of the main residence separated by open land. The ridge lines of both the barn and the coop run east-west perpendicular to this portion of Pepper Street. A circular swimming pool is located towards west of the main residence. The edges of the property towards the east and the north are defined by cluster of trees while dense woodland covers the area towards the southwest and the west.

Building Typology

• Chicken Coop
• New England Bank

Materials

• Concrete Block
• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 12 X 16 Sqft, Circa 1927; Barn : 20 X 28 Sqft, Circa 1927;

Date Compiled

04/04/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Lee Hossler, 04/14/2011.

Assessors’ records retrieved on April 14th, 2011 from website http://monroe.univers-clt.com/ .

Assessors’ maps retrieved on April 14th, 2011 from website http://www.monroect.org/ . 

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 14th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 14th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 14th, 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.

Stepney Local Historic District, Monroe - 2006.