Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 1/2-story, gambrel roof ground-level stable barn with a gable-roof addition and a shed roof addition. The main facade faces north and the ridge-line of the barn is perpendicular with this portion of Boston Turnpike, which runs east-west. The main entry is an over-sized pass-through door, off center to the east. Opposite the main entry to the west is a pass-through door with trim. Also on the main level of the north gable-facade of the barn are two sixteen-pane windows, each window centered between the corner and an entry. In the second level and going into the 1/2-story is a large vertical sliding hay door. Beneath the apex of the roof is the top portion of the hay door that folds down. Flanking the hay door in the gable attic are large louvered vents. The east vent has a pair of exhaust pipes running from the vent down to the main level and into the barn through the concrete block masonry wall.

The west eave-side of the barn has a series of six-pane stable windows punctuated by a pass-through door; three windows towards the north corner, then the door, then five windows towards the south corner with a hooded vent between the third and fourth window.

Extending south from the south gable-side of the barn is a gable-roof addition, with its eave-sides flush with the eave-sides of the main barn. The small portion of the south gable-side of the main barn still visible in the gable attic has three rectangular spaces; windows and/or vents. Extending off the addition to the west is a lean-to and to the east is a shed-roof addition. The east eave-side of the main barn has a series of six six-pane stable windows. At the south corner is a pass-through door. Extending east at the north corner of the east eave-side of the barn is a shed-roof addition. 

The barn has a round gambrel-roof with a slight Dutch flair and exposed purlin-ends in the gable-sides. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and a projecting hay hood to the north. The main floor of the barn is concrete block masonry. The second floor and above are horizontal boards painted white.

Historical significance:

By the early 20th century agricultural engineers developed a new approach to dairy barn design: the ground-level stable barn, to reduce the spread of tuberculosis bacteria by improving ventilation, lighting, and reducing the airborne dust of manure. A concrete slab typically serves as the floor for the cow stables. Many farmers converted manure basements in older barns into ground-level stables with concrete floors. Some older barns were jacked up and set on new first stories to allow sufficient headroom. With the stables occupying the entire first story, the space above serves a a hayloft. By the 1920s most ground-level stable barns were being constructed with lightweight balloon frames using two-by-fours or two-by-sixes for most of the timbers. Novelty or tongue-and-groove beveled siding is common on the walls, although asbestos cement shingles also were a popular sheathing. Some barns have concrete for the first-story walls, either poured in place or built up out of blocks. The gambrel roof design was universally accepted as it enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses.

Field Notes

An active farm with a retail farm stand. Main barn is of the dairy type with concrete masonry ground floor and arched roof at the upper level and a projection over the hay loft door. A smaller shed is used for the farm stand, and there are several plastic-sheeting greenhouses.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Garage
• Shed
• Shop

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Scattered Buildings
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The farmstead is listed on both the town assessors card and the Capitol Region Council of Governments website as 1225 Boston Turnpike, although the literature on the web about Lyndale Farm is clearly 1207 Boston Turnpike. Furthermore, the afore mentioned assessor websites do not have a listing for 1207 Boston Turnpike. Be that as it may, the barn is to the southeast of the house it is associated with, with a number of buildings between the two. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn. The house fronts Boston Turnpike. To the east of the house along the road, are two gable roof buildings, one of which is a food-stand. To the south of the food-stand is a round, gambrel-roof two-bay garage. East of the garage is the main barn. North of the barn is a greenhouse with its ridge-line parallel to the road. To the east of the barn are a greenhouse and a gable-roof strcuture, both with their ridge-lines parallel to the road. South of the barn is a semi-round roof structure, possibly a greenhouse. To the south of the barn are large tracts of open space. The area around the site is residential, active agriculture, open space and woodland.

Map/Block/Lot 00023 00014 00040

Building Typology

• Gambrel
• New England

Materials

• Concrete
• Horizontal Siding
• Other

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Dutch Gambrel
• Other

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

10/12/2010

Compiled By

Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes by Charlotte Hitchcock.

Additional photographs provided by J M Treat.

The Capitol Region Council of Governments website. http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

Map of Bolton, CT, retrieved on October 12, 2010 from website www.zillow.com.

eQuality Valuation Services, LLC Database. http://www.equalitycama.com/tvweb/MainSearch.aspx?city=Bolton

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.