Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a two barn complex towards the north of Boston Post Road with Barn-I towards the south and Barn-II towards its north-east. The ridge line of Barn-I runs east-west parallel to Boston Post Road while that of Barn-II runs north-south. The following is the description of Barn-I while Part-II is discussed in http://www.connecticutbarns.org/index.cgi/39267.

Barn-I: This is a 1 ½ - story eave-entry barn with a shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of its west gable-end. The south eave-side of the barn faces Boston Post Road with the ridge line running east-west parallel to the road. The main façade of the barn is the north eave-façade with the original main entrance at the center through a double-height exterior-hung sliding wagon door which is now boarded with square panels and has a pair of hinged pass-through doors inserts at the center. The first bay from the east on the façade has an over-head garage door entrance towards the east and a framed hinged pass-through door towards the west. A hinged hay door with frame can be seen centered above the two entrances in the first bay from the east. The north side-wall of the shed-roof is flush with the north eave-façade of the barn and has a louvered vent towards the west. The east gable-end of the barn has returning eaves and is lined by white painted cornice board. The east eave-side of the shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of the east gable-end of the main barn has a concrete block chimney at the center with an entrance towards the north and a framed window towards the south. A signboard displaying ‘BENCHMARK- Furniture Repairs Refinishing & Restorations’ can be seen in the south-east corner of the shed-roof addition. The south side-wall of the shed-roof addition flush with the south eave-side of the barn has a hinged pass-through door towards the east and two two-pane windows towards the west. The south eave-side of the barn had an original wagon door entrance towards the east which is now boarded and has two large two-pane window inserts. Evidences of an original double-height wagon door entrance can also be seen on the south eave-side at the center which now has a single-pane horizontal window at the first floor level and a signboard displaying ‘BENCHMARK’ above it, off-centered towards the east. A similar single-pane horizontal window is located towards the west on the south eave-side.

The wooden frame of the main barn has metal roofing and red painted vertical siding on the south eave-side while red asphalt paper can be seen on the north eave-façade. The wooden frame of the shed-roof addition has asphalt shingle roofing and red painted vertical siding with a concrete block chimney on its east eave-side. 

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

Also see part 2 of 2 : http://www.connecticutbarns.org/index.cgi/39267

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• re-use

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Garden
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 1.98 acres parcel, Property 181/028 and Account number – F0125900_1, is located towards the north of Boston Post Road. The property is situated in a pre-dominantly residential area surrounded by late twentieth century housing towards the north and the south-west. Woodland covers the area towards the east and the south of the property, across Boston Post Road.

The two barns are located along the western edge of the property with Barn-I towards the south and Barn-II towards its north-east. The ridge line of Barn-I runs east-west parallel to Boston Post Road while that of Barn-II runs north-south. The circa 2001 main residence of the property is located towards the east of Barn-I with a bean-shaped swimming pool towards its north. Two recently built gable-roof sheds with attached gable-ends and ridge lines running north-south are located towards the immediate north-west of the main residence. The property has a fenced garden towards the north-east of the main residence and open land lined by trees along the northern edge.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Other
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle
• Metal

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 30 X 40 Sqft, Circa 1920; Barn: 18X20 Sqft, Circa 1950; Pool: 18X36 Sqft, Circa 1973;

Date Compiled

03/23/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Meg Parulis, 09/10/2010

Assessors’ records retrieved on March 23rd, 2011 from website http://host.appgeo.com/WestbrookCT/PropertyRecordCard.ashx.

GIS information retrieved on March 23rd, 2011 from website http://host.appgeo.com/WestbrookCT/Map.aspx .

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 23rd, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 23rd, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 23rd, 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.