Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 1/2-story gambrel-roofed barn structure oriented with its ridge-line parallel to Old Colchester Road, which runs north-south.  The east eave-side façade opens to grade at the main level and the main entry appears to be a pair of sliding doors running the entire length of the façade of the barn.  The north gable-end of the barn is blank except for what appears to be an opening where a window or door once existed in the gambrel attic.  The west eave-side of the barn appears to have two four-pane windows. A few courses of fieldstone foundation wall are visible along the west eave-side of the barn. The south gable-end appears to have a pass-though door on the east half of the barn and what appears to be an opening where a window or door once existed in the gambrel attic.  The barn has weathered and deteriorating vertical flush-board siding.  The roof is roll roofing.   

A second structure is located further to the south of the barn. This is a 1 ½-story gable-roofed structure.  The north eave-side façade has a pass-through door.  The south eave-side an attached lean-to shed with three open bays.  Siding is vertical flush-board and the roof is asphalt shingle.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn is the successor to the English barn and relies on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offers many practical advantages. Roofs drain 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 as both types continued to be constructed.

The gambrel roof enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses that did not require cross beams, which would interfere with the movement and storage of hay. Also known as the curb roof, the double slopes of the gambrel offer more volume in the hayloft without increasing the height of the side walls.

Field Notes

1810 house. Gambrel roof on barn then smaller structure was a house. Judy Dougherty knows history.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Other

Environment features

• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is behind and to the east of the c. 1810 Colonial-style house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn.  A brick water well appears to be located near the northwest corner of the barn.  Extending to the north, east, south, is woodland. The total size of the site is 2.62 acres. The area surrounding the site is residential and woodland.

Building Typology

• Gambrel

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Flush-board
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Rolled

Roof type

• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

700 sq. ft.

Date Compiled

02/12/2011

Compiled By

A. Ehrgott & T. Levine; reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Michelle Sinkez. Date 04/15/2010.

Town of Hebron Assessor’s Record:
http://www.prophecyone.us/fieldcard.php?property_id=1915085
Parcel ID: 1915085

Aerial Mapping: http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 02/10/2010.

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.