Historic Significance
Architectural description:
This is a large (36' x 50'), 2 1/2-story bell roof barn with no basement and a 24' by 36' shed-roofed addition. The bell roof is topped with a single metal ventilator and has flared eaves. It has a main door on the gable end indicating a New England barn type. The gable end has a triangular projection off the roof peak which at one time would have sheltered an extended hay track. Windows line both eave sides for light and ventilation.
Historical significance:
Bell roof barns are counterparts to the gambrel barn and Gothic roof barn, all of which maximizes the volume of the hayloft with a minimum of internal supports. Bell roof barns often are prefabricated off-site and moved to the site to be erected.
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.