Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a barn complex towards the north of Thrall Road which includes a 1 ½ - story eave-entry barn and a 1 ½-story three-aisle tobacco shed. The south eave-sides of both the barn and the shed face Thrall Road while their ridge lines run east-west, parallel to each other and the road.

Barn: This is a 1 ½- story three-bay eave-entry barn. The main façade of the barn is the three-bay south eave-façade facing the road with the main entrance at the center through a pair of double-height exterior-hung sliding wagon doors. The façade has a second entrance towards the east through an exterior-hung sliding wagon door with the entrance guarded by white fence. The east eave-side of the barn has two single-pane square windows towards the north and a similar single-pane square window towards the south. The gable attic above is separated from the rest of the east gable-side by a distinct girt siding divide line and has a square tripartite window with transom just below the apex of the roof. The west gable-side of the barn has two six-pane stable windows towards either side with the gable attic above separated by a distinct girt siding divide line. A two module window with two pairs of two-over-two double-hung sash windows can be seen centered in the gable attic.

The wooden frame of the barn is supported on cement plastered masonry foundation. The barn has red painted vertical siding walls with white trim and asphalt shingle roofing.

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.

Field Notes

Red English barn with white trimmed windows Also see part - 2/3 : http://www.connecticutbarns.org/editor.cgi/21103

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• animals, not listed

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural

Relationship to surroundings

The 5.74 acres property, is towards the north of Thrall Road, situated toward the east of plot number 17 Thrall Road, Map Number - 37 60 016A. The property is located in a pre-dominantly residential area of rural character flanked by residential plots towards its east and west. Parcels of farm land with active agriculture can be seen towards the north and the south, across Thrall Road.

The barn is located in the south-western corner of the property nearer to Thrall Road while the tobacco shed is towards its north. The ridge lines of both the barn and the tobacco shed runs east-west, parallel to each other and Thrall Road. The main residence of plot number 17 Thrall Road can be seen towards the north-west of the barn. A patch of open land can be seen towards the north of the shed while parcels of farm land can be seen towards the east. The north eave-side of the tobacco shed opens into a fenced paddock.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

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Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Flat

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Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

12/02/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field-notes provided by – John E. Harmon

Assessors’ records retrieved on December 2nd, 2010 from website http://www.equalitycama.com/ 

GIS information retrieved on December 2nd, 2010 from website http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

Photograph/Information retrieved on December 2nd, 2010 from website http://www.google.com

Information retrieved on December 2nd, 2010 from website http://www.zillow.com

O’Gorman, James F., Connecticut Valley Vernacular: the Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, 144 pages.

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.