Architectural description:
Building A is a one-story gable-roofed structure with its ridge line oriented east-west, raised above grade on stone posts, probably a corn crib. It has vertical walls (atypical for a corn crib) with vertical board siding painted red, and asphalt shingle roof.
Building B is a one-story gable-roofed shed located to the south of the corn crib. It exhibits deformation at the foundations and in the roof framing. The south wall has a row of four six-pane windows, suggesting use for poultry. There are two pass-through doors in the east gable-end. The roof is a low-pitched gable with asphalt shingles. The walls are horizontal board siding painted red.
Building C is a late 20th-century metal-roofed pole barn located some distance to the north of the.
Buildng D. is a one-story gable-roofed structure with its ridge line oriented east-west and eaves less than 6 feet above grade, located to the northwest of Buildlngs A and B. It has a mortared fieldstone foundation on the west, south, and east sides, and a full-height fieldstone wall on the north. Siding is vertical boards painted red. There is a door opening in the east gable-end and a door into the loft level above. This appears possibly to have been a storage building such as a root cellar or spring house.
Historical significance:
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.
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.
Collection of 5 farm buildings; outhouse, corn crib, shed with 2 wooden plank doors on gable end, shed built into small bank, and metal building. Contemporary metal building a goodly distance from the rather historic collection of wooden buildings. No sign of farm activity at present. Note: Shed built into bank with one interesting stonework side, see photo.
Yes
n/a
Unknown
This is an area in the northern part of Ledyard, close to the historic Gurdon Bill Store, with woodlands and 20th-century housing subdivisions nearby. The immediate area consists of open fields and woodland.
(3) 16 feet x 18 feet
06/23/2010
Charlotte Hitchcock, reviewed by CT Trust
Field notes and photographs by Anne T. Roberts-Pierson 12/07/2009
Town of Ledyard Assessor’s Record Map/Lot 40-2300-5 (6.69 acres, (2) 16 x 18 ft sheds).
Cunningham, Jan, A Historic and Architectural Resource Survey of the Town of Ledyard, Ledyard Historic District Commission, 1992.
Foster, Kit, Ledyard Town Historian, history of Ledyard
http://www.town.ledyard.ct.us/index.aspx?NID=279
http://www.town.ledyard.ct.us/index.aspx?NID=280
http://www.town.ledyard.ct.us/index.aspx?NID=281
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.