Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 1/2 story tripartite side or eave-entry bank barn with a cross-gable addition and a shed-roofed addition, forming a large rectangular structure. A small gable-roofed addition extends off the southeast corner to the east. The main facade faces west, right at a bend in Still Lane, where the southeast-northwest road turns west. The main entry is a pair of exterior double-height sliding doors in the middle of three bays, accessed by a slight cement ramp. The south bay has an exterior single-height sliding door while the north bay is blank.

The ground drops off on the north gable-facade, revealing the basement level, which on this facade is mortared field-stone foundation. The north gable-facade is blank except for an arched double hung six-over-six window beneath the apex of the roof. Similarly, the ground drops off on the south gable-facade, revealing the basement level. In the basement level of the south gable-facade is a series of four three-over-three stable windows. The main level of the south gable-facade has a pair of windows that appear to be one-over-one double hung windows. Beneath the apex of the roof is an arched double hung six-over-six window.

The west eave-facade of the barn has a cross-gable addition on the northern portion of the facade, extending to the east, forming an L-shaped plan. Filling the space in the L is a shed-roofed addition extending east from the southern portion of the eave-facade of the barn , completing the rectangular form.

The barn and additions have vertical flush-board painted red with corner boards and trim painted white. The roofs have asphalt shingles and the main structure and the cross-gable addition each have a wood louvered cupola.

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 19th century 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 into 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

This lovely red Bank barn sits in a most idyllic setting on the bend of the road just after Willis Ridge. The barn doors open right on to the road and appears to currently shelter horses and ponies of assorted breeds. There are assorted other outbuildings on the property but the main house is a large white structure just beyond the barn. It seems to have had many additions over the years.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Original Site

Related features

• Barn
• Carriage House
• Cupola
• Garage
• Garden
• Other
• Shed
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is north of the house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the barn is parallel to Willis Ridge, which runs north-south just to the west of the barn. North of the barn are two ponds and a stone wall. To the northeast and east of the barn are a number of other outbuildings including two gable-roofed sheds and another barn. Further east is Uppermill pond.

Building Typology

• English Bank

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Flat
• Gable
• Other

Approximate Dimensions

3200 S.F.

Date Compiled

07/16/2010

Compiled By

Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes by JoAnna Chapin.

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.

Vision Appraisal Online Database. www.visionappraisal.com/oldlymect.