Reverend Andrew Storrs House (4 Park Street, Plymouth (Western Uplands))

Designations

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½- story three-bay eave-entry bank barn towards the north of Park Street. The east eave-side of the barn faces North Street while the south gable-end faces Park Street. The ridge line of the barn runs north-south parallel to North Street and almost perpendicular to this portion of Park Street. The three-bay east eave-side of the barn facing North Street is the main façade with the main entrance centered in the middle bay through a pair of double-height exterior-hung hooded sliding wagon doors with a pair of hay doors centered above. The main east eave-façade has vertical siding from the grade level to the lintel height of the main entrance while the rest of the facade has horizontal asphalt siding. The grade level along the east eave-façade drops towards the south and gradually declines along the south gable-end to form the bank level which has a hinged pass-through door towards the extreme west and two two-pane windows towards the east. The first floor level of the south gable-end has a two-pane window towards the east and a six-pane window with trim towards the west. The gable attic lined by cornice board has a six-pane window with trim at the center while a similar six-pane window with trim can be seen just below the apex of the roof. The south gable-end of the barn has vertical siding at the bank level up to the lintel level of the windows at the first floor level while the rest of the area and the gable attic has horizontal asphalt siding. The low grade level along the south gable-end continues to wrap the barn to form the bank level along its west eave-side. The three-bay west eave-side of the barn has a hinged pass-through door at the center flanked by three two-pane windows towards its south and a multi-pane window towards its north. The first floor level of the west eave-side has three windows towards the south with a small single-pane vent centered between the two windows towards the extreme south.

The wooden frame of the barn is supported on stone masonry foundation. The barn has asphalt shingles roofing and light grey painted vertical siding at the bank level and first floor level up to the lintel level while the rest of the area has grey painted horizontal asphalt siding.

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.
The 19th century 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 into 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.

Field Notes

The house was built in 1766 by the Congregational minister Reverend Andrew Storrs and has behind it a large 19th century barn according to the website http://www.livingplaces.com/CT/Litchfield_County/Plymouth_Town/Plymouth_Center_Historic_District.html Adaptation copyright © 2011, The Gombach Group. The property is located in Plymouth Center just off Main Street. Contributing resource in the Plymouth Center Historic District. Cunningham, Jan, Plymouth Center National Register Historic District No. 99000858, National Park Service, 1999.

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Other

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The 23.95 acres property, Account Number- 034-042-030 and Map-block-lot number- 00158400, is located towards the west of North Street and the north of Park Street. The property is located in a pre-dominantly residential area of rural character with individual plots separated by woodland and parcels of open land. Residential plots can be seen towards the north, south and the east of the property across the roads in respective directions while the area towards the west and the northwest is covered by dense woodland.

The barn is located in the southeast corner of the property nearer to Park Street, but offset from North Street. The ridge line of the barn runs north-south parallel to North Street. The circa 1764 two family main residence of the property is located towards the southeast of the barn while a rectangular pool is located towards the immediate south. The property is accessed by a driveway towards the southeast of the main residence which continues northwards approaching the barn. The property has open land towards the west and the northwest of the building complex with dense woodland covering the area beyond.

Building Typology

English Bank

Materials

Structural System

Roof materials

Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 36X26 Sqft, Circa 1950; Shed: 14X12 Sqft, Circa 1983; Pool: 32X16 Sqft, Circa 1983;

Date Compiled

06/14/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Cherie Robinson, 04/24/2011.

Assessors’ records retrieved on June 14th, 2011 from website
http://plymouth.univers-clt.com/index.php

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

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

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

Cunningham, Jan, Plymouth Center National Register Historic District No. 99000858, National Park Service, 1999.

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 Plymouth