Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 1/2-story gable-entry gambrel bank barn in the middle of a series of linked sheds. The main facade faces west and the ridge-line is perpendicular to Mill Bridge Road, which at this point runs north to south.

The main entry is found on the west gable-facade and consists of an exterior sliding door. Directly above the entry is a hay door. There is a second, larger hay door just below the apex of the roof. Flanking the larger hay door are single-pane windows. Attached to the north eave-side of the barn is a gambrel-roof addition, which has an attached shed-roof addition. The south eave-side of the barn has a hip-roof addition on the west corner, with yet another shed-roof addition attached to it. The south eave-side of the barn has a series of fixed four-pane windows above grade and under grade has what appears to be a series of fixed twelve-pane windows. The foundation appears to be cement and mortared field stone. The east gable-side has two shed-roof additions.

The gambrel-roof addition appears to have a series of three windows along the west eave-side, with a hay door centered just below the eave.  A shed-roof addition is attached to and extends to the north gable-end of the gambrel-roof addition.  There appear to be two windows on the west side of the shed-roof addition.

The hip-roof addition on the west corner of the south eave-side of the barn wraps around to the west gable-facade of the barn.  On the west side of the addition is a set of side-hinged doors.  On the south side of the addition appears to be a six-pane window with trim.  A shed-roof addition is attached on the south side of the hip-roof addition.  On the west side of this addition are two, two-pane windows.  Found on the south side of the shed-roof addition is a four-pane window and a side-hinged pass-through door.

The roof has asphalt shingles and three metal ventilators spaced evenly on the ridge-line. The barn has clapboards painted red with white trim.

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.

The gambrel roof enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses that did not require cross beams, which would interfere with the movement and storage of hay. Also known as the curb roof, the double slopes of the gambrel offer more volume in the hayloft without increasing the height of the side walls.

The 19th century would see 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 on 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.

The first ventilators were simple wooden louvered boxes with gable roofs, mounted near the ridge of the barn. The object of the cupola [or ventilators] is to protect the opening of the flue from the elements, keep out birds, prevent backdrafts as far as possible, and assist in drawing the foul air from the barn. Later, metal ventilators were introduced to offer more efficient ventilation with less maintenance. By the early twentieth century, prefabricated galvanized-steel ventilators were being marketed across the country. Despite sometimes being ornamented with finials or weathervanes, they lacked the romantic feel of the wooden cupola. The factory-produced steel ventilator symbolized a step in the movement towards an industrial approach to farming.

Field Notes

There is no actual street address for these buildings. The barns are located on the corner of Mill Bridge Road and Old Colony Road. [Address derived from Bing Maps] The barns stand on this property now alone. The house was circa 18th century so at least one of the barns is (or could have been) of the same era. The house burned down about 3 years ago (c. 2007) and the barns are falling down. This was a dairy farm and still has cattle on the property. This is what is left.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Shed
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Residential
• Rural

Relationship to surroundings

This barn sits close to Mill Bridge Road, and is to the north of a shed and where the house once stood before burning in a fire.  The main facade of the house faced west, and the ridge-line was perpendicular to Mill Bridge Road.  Directly across the street (on the west side of the street) are a few more outbuildings and some open tracts of land.  To the north of the property are open tracts of land and what appears to be a shopping complex.  Further to the north is woodland.  To the west is the center of Eastford where Old Colony Road, County Road, Eastford Road and Westford Road all meet.  Ivy Glen Memorial, Eastford Public Library, and the US Post Office are all to the west of the property, along with some open tracts of land.  To the southwest is Bowen Ballfield, and open tracts of land.  To the south, southeast, east, and northeast are open tracts of land.  Surrounding this property are light residential areas, woodland and open tracts of land.

Building Typology

• Gambrel Bank

Materials

• Clapboard
• Concrete

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

02/02/2010

Compiled By

Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes by Kathleen Healey: 8/24/2009.

Aerial Mapping: Eastford Maps
http://www.bing.com/maps - accessed 6/30/2011.

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.