Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ -story three-bay gable-roofed barn structure with a large gambrel-roof addition.  The barn is oriented with its ridge-line north-south parallel to Half Moon Road, which runs northeast to southwest.  The main entry is a sliding barn door hung on an exterior track in the center of the east eave-side of the barn.  Located to the right (north) of the sliding barn door is a small red sign with white lettering reads “Half Moon Farm.” Located on the south gable-end of the barn are two equidistant stable window openings.  A window opening is located in the gable attic of the south gable-end of the barn.  Encompassing the west eave-side of the barn is a large gambrel-roof addition extending west.  Located on the south eave-side of the gambrel-roof addition are four equidistant stable window openings.  The west gable-end of the gambrel-roof addition appears to have a sliding barn door located in the center on the main level and a hay door located in the gable attic.  The north eave-side of the gambrel-roof addition has four equidistant stable window openings.  Located on the north half of the north gable-end of the main barn is a window opening.  A window opening is located in the gable attic of the north gable-end of the barn.  The barn and addition have vertical flush-board siding painted red with the opening trim and corner boards painted white.

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

English barn with a large Gambrel-roofed addition.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• equestrian

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Garage
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Scattered Buildings
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the southwest of the c.1849 Greek Revival-style house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn and to the road. To the north of the barn and house is a small pond and several fenced fields. To the west of the barn are two small outbuildings.  Extending further west behind the barn are several fenced fields.  To the south of the barn is a large corral.  The total size of the site is 9.96 acres. The area surrounding the site is residential and woodland.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Flush-board
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

1647 sq. ft.

Date Compiled

03/18/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Kristen Young date 08/03/2010.

Town of Cheshire Assessor’s Record: 
http://www.prophecyone.us/fieldcard.php?property_id=2174316
Parcel ID: 0928700

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 03/18/2011.

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.