Gable-Front Barn

This barn type (sometimes called "New England barn") has access at only one level - it is not banked. Access doors in the gable ends lead to a lengthwise aisle, which is flanked by stalls. Sometimes hay is stored on the opposite side. The gable end doors are often offset slightly to one side. A loft provides additional hay storage room, and can be reached by small doors in the upper portion of the gable. These barns are often well lighted. They usually have gabled roofs and construction materials are either modified timber frames or balloon frame. The New England barn appeared during the nineteenth century transition to more competitive market oriented farming. It gained favor because (unlike the English barn) it could be easily expanded by adding to the gable end. In Pennsylvania it is found mainly in the Northern Tier region and the Northwestern region.

For further analysis of the New England barn, see Thomas Hubka, Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn, and Thomas Visser, Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings.

Gable-Front Barn, Crawford County
Gable-Front Barn, Crawford County, c. 1910