Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 1/2-story, gable-entry bank barn. The main façade faces west and the ridge-line of the barn is perpendicular to this portion of Upper Maple Street, which runs approximately north-south.

The west gable-end of the barn is not clearly visible in either photographs or aerial maps; it appears that the main entry is a tall door opening located in the center of the façade.  A window is located immediately to the north of the door, at the second-floor level.  Centered in the gable-attic appears to be a window with trim.  The north, eave-side of the barn is not visible in photographs or in aerial maps.

There is an entry in the center of the east gable-end of the barn and appears to be a pair of tall, wood doors that either swing inward or slide on an interior track (no hardware is visible). There is a four-pane window located immediately to the south of the main entry and a haymow door located in the attic level, centered in the gable peak.

The grade at the south, eave-side of the barn declines sharply, revealing a basement level. There is what appears to be a door opening located toward the west corner, at the basement level. There is another entry at the first-floor level, reached by what appears to be an earthen ramp supported by fieldstone retaining walls.  The entry is a single, wood door that either swings inward or slides on an interior track (no hardware is visible). There are a total of seven windows located at the first-floor level of the south eave-side of the barn: three six-pane windows in the east half; a pair of six-pane windows to the west of the door and a pair of four-pane windows toward the west corner. There are two double-hung windows spaced evenly across the second-floor level of the south eave-side of the barn.

The barn has unpainted, vertical wood siding. The siding at the second-floor level overhangs slightly than at the first-floor level, and the siding at the attic level overhangs slightly than at the second-floor level. The foundation is un-mortared field-stone. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn was the successor to the English barn and relied on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offered many practical advantages. Roofs drained 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; both types continued to be constructed. 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

This barn sits on the homestead of the original Danielson family from whom Danielson is named. Mary Danielson continues to occupy the adjacent home. Most of the farm was sold off to the State of Connecticut in 1979 to house Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC). The barn is set back from the road and is hard to see unless you drive into QVCC. It is obscured by trees from all sides in the summer.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Garage
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the south and slightly behind the c. 1815 house with which it is associated. The ridge-line of the house is parallel to the ridge-line of the barn. A small building is adjacent (possibly attached) to the barn to the northwest. Another building is located between the barn and the house. These two buildings may be garages, based on information on the assessor’s card. A stone wall runs along the southern perimeter of the site. Quinebaug Valley Community College occupies a 62-acre site immediately to the west and south. The Danielson Airport is a short distance to the southeast. The total size of the site is 6.10 acres. The area surrounding the site is residential and woodland.

Parcel ID: 001383

Building Typology

• New England Bank

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

1904 square feet, 34 feet x 56 feet

Date Compiled

04/11/2011

Compiled By

J. M. Doherty & T. Levine; reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Michael Green, 01/29/2010.

Town of Killingly Assessor’s Record:
http://killingly.ias-clt.com/parcel.list.php

Town of Killingly GIS Viewer:
http://www.caigisonline.net/killinglyct/

Parcel ID: 001383

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 04/11/2011.

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.