Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• National Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

Barn I:

This is a 2 ½-story gable-roofed structure, probably of three-bay layout, with its ridge-line oriented north-south parallel to the road. The original vertical wood siding has been covered by green asphalt shingle siding, which has fallen off in many areas, revealing the wood, but in other areas concealing possible altered openings.

The north gable-end faces the farmhouse, and appears to have a door flanked by stable windows on the ground level and a hay door above. The west eave-side has on the ground level from left to right (north to south) a square six-pane window, two horizontal six-pane windows, a hinged door opening, and a square six-pane window. At the second floor level there are two square six-pane windows, located in the center bay.

The south gable-end has a pair of hinged doors off-center toward the left (west), each having a six-pane window, and a six-pane window to the right (east). At the second floor level there are three six-pane windows unevenly distributed. At the attic level there is one six-pane window off-center toward the left (west). The roof is asphalt shingles.

Barn II:

This is a 1-story gable-roofed chicken coop built of concrete block masonry. The ridge-line is oriented east-west and the long south eave-side has a row of six-pane windows. The east gable-end has a pass-through door and two small windows. This structure is attached at its west end to a 1-story gable-roofed continuation structure with its ridge-line aligned but slightly offset to the north, forming a long narrow coop. The roof is asphalt shingles; there is a chimney at approximately the mid-point along the north wall.

Historical significance: Barn I:

During the 1930s and 1940s, poultry farming was adopted by many farmers in New England as a replacement for dairy farming. Many large cow barns were converted into chicken barns with the addition of more floors and numerous windows and dormers.

This example may have been a traditional three-bay English barn prior to the addition of windows in the south and west sides for poultry.

Barn II:

Poultry farming grew in popularity during the second half of the 19th century, and by the early 20th century most farms had small chicken coops. These lightly-built structures often feature a gabled or shed roof and large windows on the south side. Often chicken coops have a small stove and chimney for heat to protect young chicks during cold weather. Small openings near the ground provide the fowl with access to the yard. Inside are nesting boxes for the laying hens. During the 1930s and 1940s, poultry farming was adopted by many farmers in New England as a replacement for dairy farming.

This example is unusual for its sturdy concrete block masonry construction, when chicken coops were more commonly lightly built.

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

This one is also just off Main Street but was difficult to get because of the brush. Contributing resource in Hebron Center Historic District.

Use (Historic)

• poultry

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Garage
• Garden
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Commercial
• Residential
• Rural
• Scattered Buildings

Relationship to surroundings

This property is located on the east side of Wall Street, which runs north from Main Street (Route 66) in Hebron Center. It is surrounded by municipal facilities (playfields and school buildings) on the north and west, and abuts commercial uses on Main Street to the south. Further to the north, Wall Street is lined with residential properties of the mid- to late- 20th century. This is the last remaining agricultural property in the vicinity. The farmhouse is a c. 1840 Greek Revival style building with a 2 ½-story gable-to-street façade and an ell on the south side. To the rear is a garage. South and east of the farmhouse are three outbuildings: a wood-framed barn (Barn I) closest to the road; to the east a long one-story chicken coop (Barn II), and to the north of the coop a small 1-story gable-roofed structure.

Building Typology

• Chicken Coop
• English
• English/New England Hybrid

Materials

• Asphalt Siding
• Concrete Block
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Barn I: 690 square feet, Barn II: 2560 square feet

Date Compiled

01/03/2011

Compiled By

Charlotte Hitchcock, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Judy Brown and Deena Watson 6/14/2010.

Town of Hebron Assessor’s Record http://www.prophecyone.us/index_prophecy.php?town=Hebron
Parcel ID:  70/11   3.61 acres   Barn I: 690 sf, Barn II: 2560 sf
Aerial Mapping:
http://maps.google.com
http://www.bing.com/maps   accessed 1/02/2011.

Clouette, Bruce, Cronin, Maura, Hebron Center National Register District Nomination, 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.