Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story three-bay eave-entry barn with a shed-roof encompassing the entire length of its south gable-end and another shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of its west eave-side and the west side-wall of the first shed-roof addition. The ridge line of the main barn runs north-south parallel to Foote Road. The three-bay east eave-side of the barn flush with the east side-wall of the first shed-roof addition facing the road is the main façade with the main entrance in the middle bay through a pair of double-height hinged wagon doors. The main entrance has blacksmith hardware with the door leaf towards the north wider than the door leaf towards south. The undulating grade level along the façade reveals the field stone masonry foundation of the barn. The east side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the south gable-end of the main barn has an entrance towards the north through an exterior-hung hooded X-braced horse-shoe track sliding wagon door with a six-pane window above it towards the north. The east side-wall of the shed-roof addition has a second entrance towards the south which appears to be through a hinged pass-through door.  The gable attic of the south gable-end of the barn is lined by deep soffit and has a six-pane window at the center with lintel trim. The south eave-side of the shed-roof addition has four equally spaced six-pane windows with the eave level lined by projecting rafter tails. The south side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the west eave-side of the main barn is flush with the south eave-side of this shed-roof addition and has a double-height hinged wagon door entrance towards the west flanked by a hinged pass-through door with lintel trim on its east. The south side-wall of the shed-roof addition has a one-over-one double-hung sash window towards the east. The north side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the west eave-side of the main barn is flush with its north gable-end and has an entrance towards the extreme west through a double-height X-braced hinged wagon door entrance flanked by a hinged pass-through door with lintel trim on its east. A window which presently appears to be sealed can be seen towards the east of the pass-through door while another single-pane window opening can be seen just below the eave-level, off-centered towards the east. The markings on the vertical siding suggest that the original main entrance on this north side-wall may have been through a double-height wagon door entrance.

The wooden frame of the barn complex is supported on field-stone masonry foundation. The barn has asphalt shingle roofing and red painted vertical siding walls.

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

Owner: Burlington Lions Club History: Originally part of Schwarzmann’s Farm

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other

Environment features

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

Relationship to surroundings

The 1.4 acres property, Account number – 00038400 and MBLU number- 4/10 / 36/ / /, the land with outbuildings is located towards the west of Foote Road, opposite to the intersection of the road and Vineyard Road. The property is located in a sparsely populated residential area of rural character. A residential plot with a barn can be seen towards the southeast of the property across the road while dense woodland covers the area towards the northeast.  The barn complex is located along the eastern edge of the property, abutting to Foote Road. The ridge line of the main barn runs north-south parallel to the road. A stretch of asphalt paving can be seen towards the immediate north of the barn while open land surrounds it towards the east and the south. The recreation area with a gable-roof shed, a basketball court, a pond and play areas can be seen towards further southwest of the barn. Dense woodland covers the area towards further north, west and the south.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 2900 SqFt; Barn: 600 SqFt; Asphalt paving: 4000 SqFt;

Date Compiled

05/23/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes provided by: Ann Mazeau, 04/13/2011.

Photographs obtained from Burlington Public Library.

Assessors’ information retrieved on May 23rd, 2011 from website http://data.visionappraisal.com/BurlingtonCT/search.asp.

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

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

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 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.