Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This 38-acre farm has multiple structures including:

A. A chicken coop (poultry house) of one-story height with a low-slope gable roof, mortared field stone foundation, vertical flush-board siding, and a row of six-light windows on the south façade.

B. a small barn with field stone foundation, gable roof, and red-painted vertical flush-board siding,

C. a larger gable-roofed barn with a long one-story ell addition perpendicular to the south side and a metal roof. Doors appear likely to be in the uphill gable-end.

D. Several small sheds, possibly for poultry or storage.
The farmhouse faces east toward the road, with the other structures located west of the house. Open fields surround the building complex, and a small pond is to the north.

Historical signficance:

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.

The coexistence of traditional barn and the poultry house at this location illustrates the transition between types of farming that were economically feasible at different time periods through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Barns: insufficient information to determine typology of the barns at this site.

Field Notes

This barn is part of a *large* agricultural complex including at least two large barns and a possible potato/onion barn (may need closer look) Owner did not appear to be home, photos taken from road. Also a possible chicken coop.

Use (Historic)

• poultry

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other
• Shed
• Stone Walls

Environment features

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

Relationship to surroundings

Located near village of South Willington, the area is now a mix of open fields and woodland, with scattered 19th-century farmhouses and 20th-century homes. Open fields surround the building complex, and a small pond is to the north.

Building Typology

• Chicken Coop

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle
• Tin

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Poultry house A 2400 square feet, Barn B 736 square feet, Barn C with basement 1056 square feet, Garage, 3 sheds.

Date Compiled

12/28/2009

Compiled By

Charlotte Hitchcock, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs by Melodi Lacy 9/18/2009.

Town of Willington Assessor’s Record Map/Lot: 36/013-00.

Demers, Ronald F., Modernization in a New England Town: A History of Willington, Connecticut, Willington Historical Society, 1983, W. Willington CT, 431 pp.

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.

Willington Common National Register Historic District Nomination, #90001911, 12/18/1990, Cunningham Associates, Ltd., Middletown CT.

Willington Historical Society website - South Willington district: http://www.geocities.com/willingtoncthistory/mapnarrative.htm

Willington Historical Society, Chronology of Willington CT – 1727-1927, 1977.
Willington Historical Society website - South Willington district: http://www.geocities.com/willingtoncthistory/mapnarrative.htm

Willington Plan of Conservation and Development, Appendix 6, Listing of Historic Structures or Sites, 2006.