Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story gambrel barn with a gable roofed addition, forming an L-shaped structure. The main eave facade faces south parallel to Lambtown Road. The main south eave façade entry appears as a single hinged door slightly off-centered to east. To the east of the main entry are two evenly spaced sliding windows. To the west of the main entry is the gable fronted annex projecting south to the Lambtown Road.  The west gable-end has a six-paneled door off-center to the north. To the south of the west gable-end door are two evenly spaced sliding windows. In the attic story of the west gable-end façade is a center double-hung window.  At the apex of the roof is a projecting hay track. The north eave-facade appears to have a paneled door with glazed six-pane upper half at the eastern end of the facade. A stove pipe is located directly adjacent to the west side of the north eave-façade door. Two skylights are located mid-point at the west end of the north eave-facade roof. The east gable-end façade has a single pane window in the attic story near the ridge line. The barn has un-painted board & batten siding with white casings around the windows and doors. The foundation is un-mortared field-stone. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles.

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

Originally another Watrous farm. 1. Large board and batten barn built on site of original barn, fieldstone foundation. 2. Small barn behind the house, mixed wood siding, shingle, horizontal and vertical barnboard. 3. Four seater outhouse.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Garage
• Shed
• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the southeast to the house with which it is associated. The ridgeline of the house and attached garage are parallel to that of the barn. A shed sits directly to the north of the house. A smaller shed sit to the northwest corner of the house. An in-ground pool is directly north of the garage. Bordering most of the entire site are stone walls. The total size of the site is 1.38 acres. The area surrounding the site is light residential and woodland.

Building Typology

• Gambrel

Materials

• Board & Batten
• Fieldstone

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

Roof type

• Dutch Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

864 square feet

Date Compiled

02/05/2011

Compiled By

TR Revella & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Anne T. Roberts-Pierson date 12/7/2010.

Town of Ledyards Assessor’s Record
http://data.visionappraisal.com/LedyardCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=5231
Parcel ID: 156410

Aerial Mapping: http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 02/05/2010.

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.