Barn Record Columbia
RETURN TO ‘FIND BARNS’
- Overview
-
Designations
n/a
Historic Significance
Architectural description:
This is a 1 1/2 story side or eave-entry barn with two shed-roofed additions, one of which has a gable-roofed attachment. The main facade faces southeast and the ridge-line is parallel to this portion of Middletown Road (Rte 66), which runs approximately southwest-northeast. The original entry is in southeast eave-facade and it has a pair of swinging hinged doors. The top portion of the northernmost leaf remains with blacksmithed hardware. The original entry is no longer functional, as the bottom half of the doors have been re-sheathed with vertical flush-board and four six-pane windows. Above the original doors is a repeated feature found so far only in Columbia; a transom covered with boards that appears to be top hinged and swinging. The easternmost bay has a pass-through door towards the east corner. The southernmost bay has two six-pane windows towards the south corner and a pass-through door in between the windows and the middle bay. The current entry appears to be through a pair of double-height swinging hinged doors in the middle bay of the northwest eave-facade. Each leaf has an inset single-pane window. The transom is covered with boards that appear to be top hinged and swinging. The westernmost bay on the northwest eave-facade has a pair of window spaces and some missing vertical boards above. Extending to the northwest from the northernmost bay is a shed-roofed addition. The northeast gable-facade of the barn appears blank. The southwest gable-facade has a shed-roofed addition that encompasses the entire width of the facade. The gable attic of the main barn is blank. Extending to the southeast from the southwest shed-roofed addition is a gable-roofed addition constructed primarily of concrete block masonry. The barn has unpainted vertical flush-board siding and an asphalt shingle roof. The foundation appears to be field-stone.
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
n/a
- Use & Accessibility
Use (Historic)
Use (Present)
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Demolished
n/a
Location Integrity
Unknown
- Environment
Related features
Environment features
Relationship to surroundings
The barn is to the next to and to the west of the house it is associated with. To the east of the barn are two gable-roofed sheds. To the northwest of the barn is a gable-roofed shed. To the northeast of the barn is open space. To the west and further north is dense woodland. Across Middletown Road (Rte 66)to the south and southeast is a large tract of open space. The total size of the site is 26.27 acres. The area is scattered residential with dense woodland and light agriculture.
M/P = 028//019
- Typology & Materials
-
Building Typology
Materials
Structural System
n/a
Roof materials
Roof type
Approximate Dimensions
1296 S.F.
- Source
-
Date Compiled
08/04/2010
Compiled By
Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust
Sources
Photographs by Todd Levine.
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.
Map of the Columbia, CT, retrieved on August 4, 2010 from website www.zillow.com.
Town of Columbia assessors office, 323 Route 87, Columbia, CT 06237.
- PhotosClick on image to view full file
-
