Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story multi-bay gable-entry gambrel-roof barn. The ridge line of the barn runs north-south parallel to this portion of Leetes Island Road. The west eave-side of the barn faces the road while the north gable-end facing the main residence is the main façade with the main entrance off-centered towards the west through a hinged pass-through door. The façade has two six-pane windows with stone ledge at the sill level; one window towards each side. The gable attic lined by fascia board has a pair of hinged hay doors at the center and a projecting hay track just below the apex of the roof. The first floor level of the façade has un-coursed mortared stone masonry that wraps the barn on all sides while the gable-attic has a vertical siding with a distinct drop girt line. The west eave-side of the barn facing the road has a three-module six-pane window towards the south with a continuous stone ledge at the sill level. A similar three-module six-pane window with continuous stone ledge at the sill level can be seen on the west eave-side off-centered towards the north while a stand-alone six-pane window is positioned towards the north. The eave-level of the west eave-side of the barn is lined by exposed rafter tails. The stone masonry at the first floor level of the south gable-end of the barn has an entrance towards the west through a hinged pass-through door while the gable attic lined by fascia board has vertical siding. 

The barn has un-coursed mortared field stone masonry foundation that continues to form the walls at the first floor level. The wooden frame of the gable-roof has asphalt shingle roofing and red painted vertical siding on the gable attics.

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

n/a

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Garage
• Shed

Environment features

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

Relationship to surroundings

The 6.35 acres property, Account number – 005066 and Parcel number- J06/000/002/00001, is a corner plot located towards the east of Leetes Island Road and the south of Red Hill Road. The property is located in a predominantly residential area of sub-urban character flanked by residential plots towards the south, the north and the northwest, across the roads in the respective directions. Open land can be seen towards the west of the property across Leetes Island Road while dense woodland covers the area towards the west. 

The barn is located in the southwest corner of the property with its ridge line running north-south, almost parallel to this portion of Leetes Island Road. The circa 1850 colonial main residence of the property is located in the northwest corner of the property. The property has a number of other sheds and outbuildings scattered towards the west and the northeast of the barn. Small pockets of farming can be seen toward the south of the barn while the area towards the east is covered by dense woodland.

Building Typology

• Gambrel

Materials

• Cobblestone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 1656 SqFt; Garage: 380 SqFt; Shed: 120 SqFt; Shed: 180 SqFt; Shed: 144 SqFt; Porch: 72 SqFt;

Date Compiled

05/18/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes provided by: Charlotte Hitchcock, 03/20/2011.

Assessors’ information retrieved on May 18th, 2011 from website http://data.visionappraisal.com/BranfordCT/search.asp.

GIS Map retrieved on May 18th, 2011 from website http://www.branfordgis.com/AGS_MAP/default.htm

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 18th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 18th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 18th, 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.