Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• State Historic Resource Inventory
• State Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story eave-entry three-bay bank barn with a shed-roof wagon shed addition on its east eave-side. The barn has the bank along its west eave-side and the south gable-end. The ridge line of the barn runs almost north-south, at an angle to New London Turnpike which runs from the southeast to the northwest. The west eave-side of the barn faces the road while the three-bay east eave-side is the main façade with the main entrance in the middle bay through a double-height wagon door entrance. The first bay from the north on the main east eave-façade of the barn has the two-bay shed-roof addition. The grade level along the south gable-end of the barn gradually declines towards the west to form the bank which has plastered masonry foundation. The bank level is accessed by a wagon door entrance with white painted vertical boards towards the west while a window opening can be seen towards the east. The rest of the gable end appears to be blank with the gable attic lined by deep soffit. The low grade level wraps the barns on its west eave-side forming the bank which has an entrance at the center. The west eave-side of the barn also has a window opening towards the south at the bank level and a square window insert centered at the first floor level.

The wooden frame of the barn is supported on plastered masonry foundation and asphalt shingle roofing. The barn appears to have red impregnated tar paper on walls with white corner boards. 

The south eave-side of the wagon shed on the east eave-side of the main barn is the main façade with two main entrances through two open bays. The wooden frame of the wagon shed is supported on concrete footings. The shed has red impregnated tar paper covering the vertical siding on the walls. 

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.

Distinguished by the long shed or gable roof and the row of large openings along the eave side, the typical wagon shed was often built as a separate structure or as a wing connected to the farmhouse or the barn. These open-bay structures protect farm vehicles and equipment from the weather and provide shelter for doing small repairs and maintenance.

Field Notes

Listed on the State Register of Historic Places 10/02/2013."There is a barn on my property in Glastonbury that was there when my Grandfather purchased the farm in the early 1900s. I doubt if it's registered but it is in good structural condition. It is constructed with hand cut beams and wooden pegs to join them. As a child I remember watching my Grandmother milk the few cows they had in the lower portion, hay trap doors above to drop the hay through. My family grew fruit on this farm - apples, peaches, pears etc. The livestock was for their own consumption like lots of folks in that era. Anyway I myself am curious about its possible age of construction. It also has an attached carriage shed with built up stone and dirt ramp to the large swing doors." - John B. English bank barn with hinged doors & shed-roofed wagon shed attached. Brick apple barn for cold storage of apples, c. 1940.

Use (Historic)

• apple

Use (Present)

• storage

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Original Site

Related features

• Barn
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 15.98 acres property, property number - 47601597, property ID - 12700, is located towards the east of New London Turnpike. The property is situated a predominantly residential area of rural character with woodland separating the individual plots. Residential plots can be seen towards the north, east, south and the west of the property across the road. Dense woodland can be seen along the edges of the property and covers the area towards the southeast.

The barn is located towards the southern edge of the property offset from New London Turnpike. The ridge line of the barn runs almost north-south, but an angle at to the road which runs from the southeast to the northwest. A hip-roof barn is located towards the south-east of the barn, across the driveway while another hip-roof out-building with a square footprint is located towards the east. The circa 2010 main residence is located towards further south-east of the barn. The property has a water stream along its southern edge with parcels of open land along the eastern edge. Cluster of trees and few sheds can be seen scattered in the property while the area towards the east and the southeast is covered by dense woodland.

Building Typology

• English Bank
• Other Shed
• Wagon Shed

Materials

• Concrete
• Fieldstone
• Other
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 800 SqFt; Barn with basement: 2244 SqFt; Garage: 400 SqFt; Shed: 140 SqFt; Shed: 143 SqFt; Shed: 392 SqFt

Date Compiled

04/05/2010

Compiled By

T. Levine and M. Patnaik, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs and field notes provided by Robert John Bona.

Assessors’ records and GIS Map retrieved on February 15th, 2011 from website http://gis.glastonbury-ct.gov/ceo/ and http://ceo.fando.com

GIS information retrieved on February 15th, 2011 from website http://www.crcog.org

Aerial Mapping: Glastonbury Maps
http://www.bing.com/maps - accessed 9/20/2011.

Photograph/Information retrieved on February 15th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on February 15th, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com

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.