Barn Record Roxbury

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Building Name (Common)
Burwell Tavern - Thomas Homestead
Building Name (Historic)
Burwell Tavern - Thomas Homestead
Address
4 Southbury Road (Rte 67), Roxbury
Typology
Overview

Designations

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

Barn I:

This barn almost surely served as a horse barn for Harvey Thomas. The barn stands on a mostly open, grassy lawn on the east side of Southbury Road. This corner property is located at the intersection of Church Street. The c. 1785 house at this address stands to the north. Features include: 22 x 44, 30 x 20; peak-roofed barn comprises two sections arranged in an L-plan; the larger of the two blocks is the north section, situated with gable ends to the north and south; smaller wing extends to the south; both sections are banked to the east; primary elevation fronts the road to the west; gable end of north section composed with central roller door under two stacked loft doors; hinged doors front south section; north elevation lit by seven 6-pane windows, more or less evenly placed; hewn post-and-beam frame; vertical tongue-and-groove barn board; traces of red paint with white trim.

Barn II:

It is unknown what the original purpose of this small barn was, but its post-and-beam frame suggests thestructure was built in the 1800s. The lean-two houses a “two-holer” (privy). The barn stands on a mostly open, grassy lawn on the east side of Southbury Road, just to the southeast of the c. 1785 house on this property. The corner property is located at the intersection of Church Street. Features include: 24 x 14; peak-roofed barn stands with gable ends oriented to the east and west; primary elevation faces north, where two doors are set under canted lintel; small shed-roofed wing projects from center of south elevation; 12-paned window with canted lintel set to the left and hinged; divided door set to the right; milled post-and-beam frame; vertical tongue-and-groove barn board.


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 sides, 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, as both types continued to be built.

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.

Field Notes

Information from a survey of Roxbury by Rachel Carley. Harvey Thomas, a Roxbury horse trader, lived here until his death in 1894. It is said that Thomas’ sulky was a familiar sight on Church Street. The house was built around 1785 and known as Burwell Tavern, a stage-coach stop. Located in the Roxbury Center National Register. Appears to have collapsed.

Use & Accessibility

Use (Historic)

Use (Present)


Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Environment

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

n/a

Typology & Materials

Building Typology

Materials


Structural System

Roof materials


Roof type


Approximate Dimensions

Barn I: 22 x 44, 30 x 20, Barn II: 24 x 14.

Source

Date Compiled

06/30/2011

Compiled By

Rachel D. Carley - CH

Sources

Carley, Rachel D., Barn Stories from Roxbury Connecticut, Roxbury Historic District Commission/Town of Roxbury/CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, 2010.

Cunningham, Jan, Roxbury, A Historic and Architectural Survey, Roxbury Historic District Commission, 1996-97.

Plummer, Dale S., Roxbury Center National Register Historic District Nomination No. 83001271, National Park Service, 1983.

Sexton, James, PhD; Survey Narrative of the Connecticut Barn, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Hamden, CT, 2005, http://www.connecticutbarns.org/history.

The Roxbury Historic District Commission, Roxbury Past & Present: A Survey of the Evolution of Roxbury Center’s Historic District and Walking Tour, 2007.

Visser, Thomas D.,Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, University Press of New England, 1997, 213 pages.

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