Schreiber's Farm (571 Quaker Farms Road (Rte 188), Oxford (Western Uplands))

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

There are several barns on this property. Barn I is a 1 1/2-story gable-roof barn whose main facade faces south and whose ridge-line is parallel to Quaker Farms Road which runs north to south. The main entry appears to be located on one of the gable-ends. The main facade has a greenhouse addition on the first floor which extends across the entire width of the facade. There is a single-pane window centered in what appears to have once been a hayloft door with white trim located in the gable attic. Located directly above this is a louvered vent high in the apex of this facade.

The west eave-side of Barn I has a projecting shed-roof extending across the entire width of this side, supported by wood poles and creating an open porch for the barn. The north, gable-end appears to be open on the first floor. There are six window openings on the north corner of the east eave-side of the barn. Continuing south along the wall there are at least six equally spaced small windows located below the eave of the roof. A small projecting entry is found near the south corner of the east eave-side of Barn I. Another small window located below the eave of the roof is found on the south corner of the east eave-side. This barn is constructed of concrete block and the gable-attics are constructed of unknown siding that is painted red. The gable roof is clad in corrugated metal.

Barn II is a 1-story gable-roof barn whose main facade faces south and whose ridge-line is parallel to Quaker Farms Road. There is a pass-through door centered in the main facade with unglazed horizontal windows flanking either side. A small louvered vent is centered in the gable attic above. On the west eave-side the deep overhanging roof provides a protected area along the entire length of the barn. There is a tall, round, corrugated metal storage bin located near the south corner of the west eave-side of Barn II, and is integral with the overhanging roof. A concrete silo is located near the northwest corner of Barn II. There appear to be no openings in the north gable-end but the grade declines sharply from the east corner down to the west corner. The grade is at eave level along the east eave-side of the barn, so the entire elevation is below grade. There is a concrete retaining wall running along the east eave-wall. This barn appears to be constructed of concrete block painted red. The gable roof is clad in corrugated metal.

Barn III is a garage whose main facade faces east and whose ridge-line is perpendicular to Quaker Farms Road. The main facade is composed of two sliding doors with overhead interior hardware. One door is centered under the peak of the gable which is offset towards the south, the other is located at the north corner of the facade. The south eave-side of Barn III consists of three windows; two six-pane windows symmetrically arranged along the wall and one six-pane window located high at the west corner, just below the eave. The north eave-side appears to have three window openings spaced evenly across this side. Barn III is clad in vertical siding painted red with white trim and the gable-roof appears to be clad in corrugated metal.

The fourth structure is a shed with a gable roof whose ridge-line is perpendicular to Quaker Farms Road and whose main facade faces south. The main facade is open with numerous wood support poles creating several bays with the exception of what appears to be an enclosed area on the east end. There is a side-hinged pass-through door located in the east corner. On the north eave-side are a few windows interspersed irregularly along the facade of the east section of the building. The east gable-end has a group of triple six-pane windows centered under the peak of the gable. The peak is off-center so that the south wall is higher than the north wall. The shed is clad in vertical siding painted red with white trim. The roof appears to be clad in corrugated metal.

Historical significance:

Barn I and II: The New England barn or gable front barn was 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.

Historical background:

From ElectronicValley.org website: “The Schreibers have occupied this farm for almost 70 years. Corn fields can be seen in the summer and pumpkins in the fall. The Schrieber Farm, consisting about 400 acres, was bought by the Schreibers in 1910 from a Mr. Ryder. It was originally a dairy farm and has been a farm since the early 1600s. It presently raises beefers and pigs. The house is divided into three parts with the middle part dating back to before the 1800s. There was a mill on the Eight Mile Brook* which was moved to the house sometime in the 1800s. In the early 1900s, there were apple orchards up the mountain. This often presented problems in collecting the harvest. The horse and carts had great difficulty descending the mountain with al the produce.”

Field Notes

Location: 41.439043,-73.155749

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

This property is located in a mixed residential/farming area. The barn is located on 122.80 acres that consists of a house, and several barns and other support buildings. The property on which the barns are located is bordered by Quaker Farms Road to the east and Edmonds Road on the west. Barn I is set back approximately 50 feet west of Quaker Farms Road. Barn II is approximately 40 feet southwest of Barn I and 100 feet west of Quaker Farms Road. Barn III or the Garage is approximately 85 feet west of the road and 100 feet south of Barn I. The Shed is approximately 220 feet west of the road and 70 feet west of Barn II. The house, which is set back approximately 20 feet west of the Quaker Farms Road, is Colonial in style and was built in 1820. The house is approximately 180 feet south of Barn I and its main ridge-line is perpendicular to the road. There are numerous other Barns and support buildings on the property including a large silo. The property on which the buildings are located is quite large and varied. There are open fields, woodland, ponds, streams and it is used for a variety of agricultural, commercial and entertainment activities throughout the year. The house is clad in vinyl siding and the gable roof is clad with asphalt shingles.

Book 298, Page 245, Parcel No. 4/41/7, Account No: S0323700

Building Typology

Materials

Structural System

Roof materials

Metal

Roof type

Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Barn I: 2100 square feet, Barn II: 1056 square feet, Garage: 440 square feet, Shed: 1200 square feet.

Date Compiled

04/02/2009

Compiled By

R. Rothbart & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Dottie Debisschop date: 02/21/2009.

Town of Oxford Assessor’s Record:
http://www.cogcnvgis.com/Oxford/ags_map/

Vision Appraisal Online Database:
http://data.visionappraisal.com/OxfordCT/

Parcel ID: 4/41/7

Aerial Mapping:
Google Earth: 8/30/2010
http://maps.google.com
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 03/30/2011.

Electronicvalley Website:
http://electronicvalley.org/tour/SchreiberFarm.htm

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.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Barn Record Oxford