Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 ½ - story eave-entry gambrel-roof barn which appears to be three-bay. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west almost parallel to North Wilton Road. The south eave-side of the barn facing the road is the main façade with the present main entrance towards the west through a hinged pass-through door with lintel trim. The original main entrance appears to be centered in the middle bay through a double-height wagon door entrance as evident from the markings on the siding. The façade appears to have a pair of hinged hay doors towards the extreme east, separated from the main pass-through door entrance by three equally spaced six-pane stable windows. The six-pane stable window towards the extreme west has a much lower lintel level as compared to the other two windows towards the east. The second floor level of the main south eave-façade of the barn has a pair of hinged hay doors towards the extreme east and a square window towards the west which is presently boarded. The west gable-end of the barn has a window towards the south which appears to be eight-pane and two six-pane stable-windows towards the north. A margin of cement plastered masonry foundation can be seen along the grade level. The second floor level of the west gable-end had a huge window towards the south which is now boarded and a small opening which appears to be a sparrow hole, off-centered towards the north. The gable attic lined by cornice board is separated from the rest of the gable-end by a distinct girt siding divide line and has a six-over-six double-hung sash window at the center.
 
The wooden frame of the barn is supported on cement plastered masonry foundation. The barn has asphalt shingles roofing and brown painted vertical siding walls. 

Historical significance:

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.

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.

Field Notes

The building is associated with a pair of brothers, Gardner and Wilbur Hoyt, who were local celebrities because they sought to be completely self-sufficient in the late 1940s. They were the subject of a profile written by M. Farmer Murphy, a correspondent for the New York Times. The barn sits close to the road in front of a small pond with several stone walls close by. It still sits near its original barn. The property behind the barn has been developed with a recent large house.[JS]

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Garden
• Other
• Other Landscape Feature
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Scattered Buildings
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 4.28 acres property, Account Number- 05037 and MBLU number- 0047/ 0123/ 0001/, is a corner plot located towards the north of North Wilton Road and the east of North Bald Hill Road. The property is located in a pre-dominantly residential area with individual plots separated by woodland and open land. Residential plots flank the property towards the north, west, east and the south across the road while the area towards the northeast is covered by dense woodland.

The barn is located in along the southern edge property abutting to North Wilton Road. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west, almost parallel to this portion of the road. The circa 1870 main residence is located towards the west of the barn, across the driveway while a pond surrounded by trees and stone walls is located towards the northeast of the barn. A pool can be seen towards the immediate north of the main residence.  The area towards further northeast of the barn has been recently developed with a large house approached by a drive way from the southeast corner of the property. The rest of the property has open land dotted with cluster of trees.

Building Typology

• English
• Gambrel

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Post & Beam

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

ca. 30x40; pool: 720 SqFt;

Date Compiled

06/01/2011

Compiled By

T. Levine and M. Patnaik, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: James Sexton and Lynn Friedman - 2006.

Assessors’ information retrieved on June 1st, 2011 from website
http://propertyappraisal.ci.new-canaan.ct.us:8080/login.php

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 1st, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 1st, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on June 1st, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com.

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.