Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural desciption:

This is a a 1 1/2-story gable-entry barn with a saltbox-roof addition.  The main facade faces west and the ridge-line of the barn is perpendicular to this portion of Fairwood Road, which runs approximately north-south.  The main entry has been altered to accommodate a garage door.  A second, taller entry consisting of a pair of hinged doors is adjacent to the garage in the saltbox addition to the north.  The lintels of the two entries were originally the same height.  An horizontal impression above the entries suggest that either a hood or a track was previously attached to the west gable-facade of the barn.  There is a window opening in the gable peak which has been boarded shut.  The south eave-side of the barn is blank except for a fixed, nine-pane window in its center.  The north eave-side of the barn is blank.  The vertical flush-board siding is painted red and the roof appears to have an asphalt covering. 

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.

Field Notes

Two barns: larger English barn and small New England barn. M. Antonelli The barn and shed at the adjacent property on 112 Falls Road may have once belonged to this farm. This house was built at nearly the same time as the Wheeler-Beecher House at 562 Amity Road, which was designed by David Hoadley. Darius Beecher apparently commissioned both houses. The Wheeler-Beecher House is a listed property on the National Register.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is in front and to the northeast of the house with which it is associated.  The ridge-line of the house is parallel to the ridge-line of the barn.  The barn fronts Fairwood Road.  The house, built in ca. 1806, has a gable-roof addition and a double-story enclosed porch on its rear, west gable-side.  A driveway from the road runs east between the south eave-side of the barn and the north eave-side of the house.  There is a parking area in front of the east gable-facade of the barn.  A yard surrounds the house with woodlands on the east and south perimeter of the 2.0-acre lot.  The area surrounding the site is residential, agriculture, open space and woodland. 

Map: 111/110

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

FRAME GARAGE 1900 400

Date Compiled

01/20/2011

Compiled By

Amy Prescher & Todd Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes by Melissa Antonelli.

Map of Bethany, CT, retrieved on January 20, 2011 from website
http://bing.com/maps/

Map of Bethany, CT, retrieved on January 20, 2011 from website http://maps.google.com/

eQuality Valuation Servies, LLC Database
http://www.prophecyone.us/fieldcard.php?property_id=1826487

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.