Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story side- or eave-entry barn.  The main facade faces approximately east, with a ridge-line running approximately north-south, parallel with State Street. The east eave-side features three entrances: a nine-pane, paneled pass-through door is located on the north end near the northeast corner and south of that are two recessed pairs of swinging hinged doors. There are no other openings on this side.  There appears to be an opening on the west eave-side of the barn.  The barn has unpainted vertical flush-boards. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles, and the west plane of the roof has two skylights centered on it. The foundation is concrete.

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.

Historical background:

Located within the boundaries of the Guilford Historic Town Center District, but was constructed after the district was created.

Field Notes

684 sq.ft. Raw wood Vertical sided barn with wood shingled roof Built in 2005 Located in Guilford Town Center Historic District, but is not a contributing resource within the district.

Use (Historic)

• unknown

Use (Present)

• garage

---

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Original Site

Related features

n/a

Environment features

• High Density
• Residential

Relationship to surroundings

The barn/garage is located west of and behind the c. 1798 house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is parallel to that of the barn. A driveway running east-west is located north of the house and leads to the barn. The total size of the site is 0.61 acres. The surrounding area is commercial, high density, and residential.

Parcel ID: 046005.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Concrete
• Flush-board
• Vertical Siding

---

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

---

Roof type

• Saltbox

---

Approximate Dimensions

684 square feet.

Date Compiled

04/01/2011

Compiled By

B. Bjorklund & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Dempsey Fitton, 8/6/2008.

Town of Guilford Assessor’s Record or GIS Viewer:
http://www.guilfordgis.com/detail.asp?parid=046005
http://www.prophecyone.us/index_prophecy.php?town=Guilford
Parcel ID: 046005

Aerial Mapping:
http://maps.google.com accessed 04/01/2011
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 04/01/2011

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, 61.

Raiche, Stephen J., Guilford Historic Town Center National Register Historic District Nomination No. 76001988, National Park Service, 1976.