Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2-story eave-entry barn, with a large shed-roof annex to the north, and a modern pre-fabricated gabled addition off the west of the annex. The main façade faces southwest and the ridge-line of the barn is parallel to Moulton Road, which at this point runs approximately northwest to southeast.

The main entry appears to be a pair of side-hinged double-height doors off-center to the west.  To the south corner from the main entry are what appear to be two evenly spaced windows on the main level of the southwest eave-façade of the barn. To the west corner of the southwest eave-façade of the barn is the shed-roofed annex projecting north with the modern pre-fabricated addition projecting west.

The entire first level of the northwest gable-end of the barn is encompassed by the shed-roofed annex which projects north doubling the size of the barn. There appears to be two window openings on the annex portion of the northwest gable-end of the barn. To the west of the annex on the northwest gable-end of the barn is the modern pre-fabricated addition, which appears to have three evenly spaced windows across the eave-side.

The northeast eave-side of the barn has three evenly spaced six-pane windows centered on the eastern half of the barn. Off-center to the north of the northeast eave-side of the barn is a side-hinged, pass-through door with a six-pane window directly adjacent to the north side of the door-frame.  Located above each of the windows in the upper level of the northeast eave-side of the barn are three six-pane windows, with there being an exception over the eastern most main level window in which there is no second-story window above.  The grade on the northeast eave-side of the barn declines slightly from the east corner to the north corner, partially revealing a field-stone foundation. To the north of the northeast eave-side of the barn is the shed-roofed annex projecting north, which contains a pair of sliding doors to the north corner of the annex.

The southeast gable-end of the barn has four six-pane windows on the main level, with the two middle windows centered closer together and the outer windows towards the corners of the barn.  On the upper level of the southeast gable-end of the barn is a pair of side-hinged hay doors off-center to the north. Centered in the gable-attic of the southeast gable-end of the barn is a small window.

The barn is covered in clapboard painted white with corner boards and trim. The northeast gable-end of the barn is covered in vertical board painted white and the annex covered in vertical siding painted white. The modern pre-fabricated addition is metal. The roof is metal. The foundation is 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 (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

1

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Stone Walls

Environment features

• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the south and slightly west of the c. 1955 house with which it is associated. The ridge-line of the house is parallel to that of the barn. To the southeast of the barn there appears to be a small gable-roof barn in the woods. The grade declines away from the southwest eave-side of the barn and inclines to the main level at the end of the modern addition. There is a low stone retaining wall extending from the northeast gable-end of the barn protecting this declining and inclining area between the barn and the modern addition. The total size of the site is 25.0 acres. The area surrounding the site is light residential and woodlands.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Aluminum Siding
• Clapboard
• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

58ft. x 25 ft.

Date Compiled

03/05/2011

Compiled By

TR Revella & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust