Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a five barn complex towards the east of the intersection of Wapping Road and Miller Road. Barn-I is located towards the east with Barn-II towards its northeast and Barn-III towards its southeast. The ridge lines of Barn-I and Barn-III run east-west perpendicular to Miller Road while that of Barn-II runs north-south. Barn-IV is located towards further east with Barn-V towards its northwest with their ridge lines running north-south parallel to Miller Road. The following is the description of Barns – II, IV and V while Barn-I and Barn-III are discussed in - http://www.connecticutbarns.org/index.cgi/22880.

Barn-II: This is a 1 ½ - story gable-entry tobacco shed which appears to be three-aisle eight-bent. The west eave-side of the shed faces Wapping Road with the ridge line running north-south, almost parallel to the road. The main façade of the barn is the south gable-façade with the main wagon door entrance at the center. The shed has a system of ventilation through the vertical siding on the eave-sides in which alternate boards are hinged along the sides to open like tall narrow doors, each held in place by its own hook.

The wooden frame of the tobacco shed is supported on concrete footings. The shed can vertical siding and asphalt shingle roofing.

Barn-IV: This is a 1 ½ - story gable-entry three-aisle tobacco shed with its ridge line running north-south parallel to Miller Road. The west eave-side of the barn faces Wapping Road while the south gable-end is the main façade with the main entrance at the center through a pair of hinged wagon doors. The tobacco shed has a system of ventilation through the vertical siding in which every second board is hinged at the top and tilted out at the bottom by means of a horizontal cleat, that lifts several boards at once, and metal prop hooks to hold the boards in place.

The wooden frame of the tobacco shed is supported on concrete footings. The shed can vertical siding and asphalt shingle roofing.

Barn-V: This is a 1 ½ - story gable-entry barn with its ridge line running north-south parallel to Miller Road. The west eave-side of the barn faces Wapping Road while the south gable-end is the main façade. The barn is in advance state of dilapidation with vertical siding walls and asphalt roofing.

Historical significance:

The tobacco barn, or shed as it is called in the Connecticut River Valley, is one of the most distinctive of the single-crop barns. They tend to be long, low windowless buildings with pitched roofs. They are characterized by vented sides to regulate air flow and allow harvested tobacco to cure at the appropriate rate.  Derived initially from the design of the English barn, the shed is composed of a fixed skeleton consisting of two- or three-aisle bents repeated at intervals of 15 feet to the desired length. The wood-framed bents sit on piers of stone or concrete and the bents are connected by girts and diagonal braces. Typically there are two doors at each end, making the shed a “drive-through,” although some sheds are accessed through doors on the sides. The interior structural framework serves a second purpose in addition to supporting the walls and roof of the building; it provides a framework for the rails used to hang the tobacco as it cures.

This is accomplished with one of four different systems (more than one method may be utilized in a single shed):

a) Vertical slats - siding in which every second board is hinged at the top and tilted out at the bottom by means of a horizontal cleat, that lifts several boards at once, and metal prop hooks to hold the boards in place;

b) Side slats - Vertical siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the sides to open like tall narrow doors, each held in place by its own hook;

c) Less commonly, horizontal siding in which alternate boards are hinged along the top edge and open like long narrow awnings; this system may be employed along the lower edge of the wall in conjunction with vertical or side slats;

d) A series of large doors along one of the long sides of the building with the other sides of the building vented by one or more of the other methods.

e) The tobacco sheds can have additional ventilation through side-pivot awning vents on the gable-ends, which co-exist with one or more of the above four systems of ventilation.

Field Notes

Also see part - 1/2 : http://www.connecticutbarns.org/index.cgi/22880

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 15 acres property, Map Number - 36 68 026, is a corner plot located towards the east of the intersection of Wapping Road and Miller Road. The property is situated in a predominantly residential area of rural character with its edges demarcated by woodland. Residential plots can be seen towards the west of the property across Wapping Road while parcels of farm land, farm houses and barns can be seen towards the south and the east. Dense woodland covers the area towards the north of the property.

This is a five barn complex towards the east of Wapping Road. Barn-I is located towards the east with the circa 1930 colonial main residence towards its southwest, abutting to the road. The property is accessed by a drive way towards the south of the main residence that continues east to access Barn-II towards the north and Barn-III towards the south. The ridge lines of Barn-I, Barn-III and the main residence run east-west, perpendicular to Miller Road while that of Barn-II runs north-south. The property includes two other barns located on higher grade level towards further east with Barn-IV towards the east and Barn-V towards the west. The ridge lines of both Barn-IV and Barn-V run north-south, parallel to Miller Road. Two green houses can be seen towards the south of Barn-I across the driveway while two more green houses can be seen towards the south of Barn-III. The property has parcels of farm land with active agricultural practice surrounding the barn complex.

Building Typology

• Tobacco Shed

Materials

• Concrete Block
• Vertical Siding

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Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Gable

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Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 3520 SqFt, Circa 1930 Shed: 500 SqFt, Circa 1930 Barn: 816 SqFt, Circa 1930 Barn: 1984 SqFt, Circa 1930 Barn: 2080 SqFt, Circa 1930 Shed: 400 SqFt, Circa 1930

Date Compiled

02/25/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: John E. Harmon.

Assessors’ records retrieved on February 25th, 2011 from website http://www.equalitycama.com/ 

GIS information retrieved on February 25th, 2011from website http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

Photograph/Information retrieved on February 25th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Information retrieved on February 25th, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com

O’Gorman, James F., Connecticut Valley Vernacular: the Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, 144 pages.

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.