Gilman Farm (185 Fitchville Road, Bozrah (Eastern Uplands))

Barn Record Bozrah

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Building Name (Common)

Gilman Farm

Building Name (Historic)

Gilman Farm

Address

185 Fitchville Road, Bozrah

Typology

Gambrel Bank

Overview

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ story front entry, gambrel roofed bank barn with its main facade facing south and its ridge line running north-south. The main south facade has a pair of centered sliding doors with a pass-through door to its left on the western-most corner. Above the siding divide is a double haymow door with a second, single haymow door above. Both are centered below the projecting triangular hay hood. The west eave-facade has open bays on the basement level and four evenly spaced six-over-six double hung windows on the main level. The east eave-facade has a fixed double paned window and window opening on the basement level and four evenly spaced six-over-six double hung windows on the main level. The barn has a fieldstone foundation with sections that are mortared and sections that are un-mortared. The barn has vertical siding that is painted red with white trim and an asphalt shingled 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 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.

Field Notes

Dimensions: 30ft X 60 ft ? Year Built: 1850 Use(historic): agriculture, dairy Use(current): storage Environment: Commercial, Residential, Rural, Scattered buildings Features: stone walls Materials: concrete, cut stone, vertical siding Roof Materials: asphalt shingles Roof type: Gambrel Structural system: wood frame Layout system: square rule

Use & Accessibility

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Environment

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is behind and to the northeast of the house with which it is associated. The ridgeline of the barn is perpendicular to the ridgeline of the house. Between the barn and the house is a three bay shed. To the northwest of the house is an in-ground pool with a small utility shed. The area surrounding the site is residential, commercial, open space and woodland.

Typology & Materials