Plymwood Farm (Part 2 of 2) (312 Bolton Road, Vernon (Central Valley))

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story eave-entry, gable-roof barn with a gable roof addition. The main façade faces south and the ridge-line is parallel with Bolton Road, which at this point runs approximately east to west.

The main entry is centered in the south eave-façade of the barn, and consists of a double-height, exterior-hung sliding paneled door. The door is made up of four large panels with X bracing and one small panel with X bracing. Just above the entry, right below the eave is a thirteen-pane transom window. On the east corner of the south eave-façade of the barn is a six-pane fixed window with trim. Located directly above is a six-over-six double-hung window with trim. Found on the west corner of the south eave-façade is a side-hinged hay door with iron hinges. Attached to the west corner and extending to the south off the south eave-façade of the barn is a gable-roof addition.

There are three six-pane fixed windows with trim spaced across the west gable-end of the barn. Found in the gable attic, just below the eaves is a six-pane fixed window. Coming off the west gable-end of the barn, and extending to the west is an open trellis porch. There appear to be no other details on this side.

Centered in the north eave-side of the barn is a double-height, exterior-hung sliding door. Just to the east of this is a six-pane fixed window with trim. Located directly above the entry is a thirteen-pane transom window with trim. There are no other openings on this side.

The concrete foundation is visible along the east gable-end of the barn. A small Dutch-door with X bracing on both the top half and bottom half of the door, is found near the north corner of the east gable-end of the barn. Just above this, directly below the girt line siding divide is an exterior electrical lamp. To the south, near the south corner of the east gable-end are two, one-over-one double-hung windows with trim. No other openings appear to be on this side.

The gable-roof addition, coming off the south eave-side of the barn, has a ridge-line that is perpendicular to Bolton Road. On the north corner of the east eave-side of the addition is a pair of six-pane windows with trim. Located in the center of this side is a side-hinged Dutch-door with iron hinges and X-bracing on both the top and bottom sections. Directly above the door are three decorative pairs of antlers. In the north corner of the east eave-side of the addition is a side-hinged hay-door with iron hinges. Near the south corner is an exterior-hung sliding hay-door.

Attached to and encompassing the entire lower half of the south gable-end of the addition is a hip-roof extension. There are no openings on the east side of the extension. A fieldstone foundation is visible on the south side of the extension. Three, one-over-one double-hung windows with trim and flower boxes below the two windows on the corners are found on the south side of the extension. In the gable-attic of the south gable-end of the addition, there is a four-pane window with trim.

On the west side of the extension there appears to be a double-hung window with trim. Along the west eave-side of the addition are four windows with trim. One is located on the south corner, and the remaining three are spaced evenly across the north half of the addition. Hanging just above the windows is a decorative fish. On both the south corner and north corner, just below the eaves, are two exterior electrical lamps. There are no other details found on this side.

A side-hinged pass-through door with trim and “X” bracing is centered on the north gable-end of the addition. Located in the gable-attic is a four-pane window with trim, just below the eaves. Coming off the north gable-end of the additions is the open trellis porch that is also attached to the west gable-end of the barn. There do not appear to be anymore openings or decorative details on this side.

The barn and addition are clad in vertical flush-board siding painted red with white trim. The roofs are all clad in asphalt siding with overhanging eaves. Below the eaves of the gable-roof addition are brackets that are painted white. A concrete foundation is seen on both the barn and the gable-roof addition, and a fieldstone foundation is seen on the hip-roof extension.

A gable-roof wagon-shed is also on this property. (See 312 Bolton Road 1 of 2 to see the wagon-shed)

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

This red colored english barn has two entrances from opposite sides with transom windows. Part of the Local Historic Property, The Thrall Farm.

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

workspace

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Shed

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

This barn sits on 1.9 acres of land. The house with which this barn is associated is directly to the south of the barn. The main façade of the house faces south and the ridge-line runs parallel with Bolton Road, which at this point runs approximately east to west. To the southeast of the barn is the wagon shed, located in a grove of trees. Directly to the west of the barn is an in-ground pool, and to the northwest is a tennis court. The driveway extends to the north off Bolton Road, and leads to the barn. The property is close to Bread and Milk Road, which intersects with Bolton Road just to the southeast. To the northwest of the property is Industrial Park and Interstate 84. Surrounding the property are residential properties, woodland, and farmland.

Parcel ID: 36013200002

Building Typology

English

Materials

Approximate Dimensions

32 ft x 42 ft

Date Compiled

06/03/2011

Compiled By

K. Young & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes by Charlotte Hitchcock - 1/28/2009.

Field notes and photographs by David and Emily Maker - 1/28/2009.

Aerial Mapping: Vernon Maps
http://www.bing.com/maps - accessed 6/3/2011.

Town of Vernon Assessor’s Records:
http://www.vernon-ct.gov/propertycard - accessed 6/3/2011.

Town of Vernon GIS Maps:
http://gis.vernon-ct.gov/viewer/# - accessed 6/3/2011.

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.

Local Historic Property, The Thrall Farm.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Barn Record Vernon