Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ story gable-entry bank barn with a shed-roofed addition off the north eave-facade. The main facade faces west to North Bedlam Road with its ridge line running east-west. The main entrance appears to have double sliding-doors mounted on an interior track and a deep projecting hood with asphalt shingles above. Just below the girt line siding divide is a fixed six-pane window. Centered below the apex is a fixed six-pane window. On the west facade of the shed-roofed addition there appears to be a pass-through door surrounded with trim that is painted white. The north eave-facade has two evenly spaced fixed six-pane windows and a fixed twelve-pane window on the west side. The barn has a mortared fieldstone foundation with un-painted vertical siding and a tin roof. The shed-roofed addition has vertical siding that is painted red and an asphalt shingle roof.

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 19th century also saw 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.

Field Notes

Barn two: bank shed Barn three: modern barn attached shed, lacked access, across the street from 69 N Bedlam. current and historic use unknown. active agriculture and rural environment.

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

Relationship to surroundings

This is one of three barns on the property. There is another New England Bank barn and a modern barn used as a horse stable. The barn faces west to North Bedlam Road and is across the street from the associated house at 69 North Bedlam Road.

Building Typology

• New England Bank

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle
• Tin

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

02/15/2010

Compiled By

T. Levine and S. Lessard, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes by Hill Bullard and Catherine Lynch - 10/21/2009.

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.