25 Marjorie Circle, Hebron (Eastern Uplands) | Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

National Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story Dutch gambrel-roofed structure oriented with its eave-side facing northeast and the ridge-line northwest-southeast (referred to as east-west). The north eave-side is three bays in width, and has a pass-through door in the left (east) bay and overhead garage doors in the center and right bays. The south side has a shed-roofed addition the full length of the barn. This addition has nine six-pane stable windows in groups of three, in the south side. The east side of the addition has one 16-pane window and the attic of the main structure has two one-over-one double hung window. The west side appears to be similar to the east.

Siding is vertical boards painted red and roofing is asphalt shingles.

Historical significance:

Until the 1830s, the horses used for riding and driving carriages were often kept in the main barn along with the other farm animals. By the 1850s, some New England farmers built separate horse stables and carriage houses. Early carriage houses were built just to shelter a carriage and perhaps a sleigh, but no horses. The pre-cursor to the twentieth-century garage, these outbuildings are distinguished by their large hinged doors, few windows, and proximity to the dooryard.

The combined horse stable and carriage house continued to be a common farm building through the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, until automobiles became common. Elaborate carriage houses were also associated with gentlemen farms and country estates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another form of carriage barn, the urban livery stable, served the needs of tradespeople.

This is an unusual barn in having a gambrel roof but not the New England-style gable-end entry. It appears to have been renovated for use as a garage; the original configuration may have changed. The gambrel roof may have been chosen to match the pre-existing house. The shed addition suggests use for livestock such as horses.

Historical background:

Hebron, incorporated as a town in 1708, grew slowly as families from other areas bought tracts of land and settled. Farms were spread out throughout the town, with only the area around the town common and meetinghouse as a focal point. There were few houses there in the 18th century, but the crossroads at the center also provided the core for a small commercial nucleus in the form of a tavern and store.

After the Revolutionary War Hebron began to grow and many more buildings were constructed, forming a small village at the town center. The main road through the village, present-day Route 66, was improved as the Hebron and Middle Haddam Turnpike, further contributing to the village’s prosperity. Church Street also began to expand and develop. The 19th century saw an increase in religious diversity, and as other denominations formed, they built their meeting places at the town center. In the 20th century, the process was repeated: United Brethren synagogue reflects the settlement of East European Jews in Hebron in the early 20th century. Taking up egg and dairy farming, they gave new life to the town’s farmlands.

Hebron’s growth tapered off in the middle of the 19th century. Several buildings were destroyed by the great fires of 1882 and 1888, but it is a testimony to the continuing importance of the center that most were rebuilt. As part of the reconstruction, the Victorian Gothic Congregational Church at 1 Main Street was dedicated in 1883, and a new parsonage was built nearby a few years later. The district school, 18 Main Street, was also replaced in a more Victorian style. New public buildings continued to be built at the center as need arose: a small Queen Anne-style building was erected for a public library at 22 Main Street, on the south side of the green, in 1898, and in 1909, the town built a small brick structure to house town records and to commemorate Hebron’s 200th anniversary (Clouette, Section 8).

Field Notes

Was already old in 1974. Now a garage. Contributing resource in Hebron Center Historic District.

Use (Historic)

carriage barn

Use (Present)

garage

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

This house, c. 1745-50, on Marjorie Circle, northwest from the center of town, is one of the two oldest extant buildings in the Historic District, having been spared by the fires of the late 19th century. It is a gambrel-roofed structure with its gable-end facing northeast toward the street. A gambrel-roofed cross wing extends northwest. The barn, also gambrel-roofed but likely not as old as the house, is located northwest of the farmhouse on a 4.7-acre property.

From the 18th century to the present time, Hebron Center, with its churches, early tavern, and current post office, schools, and businesses, has been the center of a small rural community. The town green has been largely eliminated by widening of the roads, but some vestiges remain around the intersection of the main roads. Except for heavy traffic, the streetscape remains residential in scale, with houses and religious buildings lining the roadsides in all directions.

Building Typology

Approximate Dimensions

828 square feet

Date Compiled

12/17/2010

Compiled By

Charlotte Hitchcock, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes by Marilyn Neubert, 3/25/2010.

Town of Hebron Assessor’s Record http://www.prophecyone.us/index_prophecy.php?town=Hebron
Parcel ID: 70/01 69 9+10– 4.7 acres.
Barn date of 1995 per assessor (renovation date - original construction undocumented)

Aerial views from:
http://maps.google.com/
http://www.bing.com/maps/ accessed 12/15/2010.

Clouette, Bruce, Cronin, Maura, Hebron Center National Register Historic District Nomination 93000649, National Park Service, 1993.

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, 213 pages.

Barn Record Hebron