Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England

by Thomas C. Hubka

"Big house, little house, back house, barn"--this rhythmic cadence was sung by nineteenth-century children as they played. It also portrays the four essential components of the farms where many of them lived. The stately and beautiful connected farm buildings made by nineteenth-century New Englanders stand today as a living expression of a rural culture, offering insights into the people who made them and their agricultural way of life.

A visual delight as well as an engaging tribute to our nineteenth-century forebears, this book has become one of the standard works on regional farmsteads in America.

Genres: Architecture, History, Heritage Preservation, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

Reviews

[Desmond Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some people see things as they are and say, Why?" Actually, not as many as you might think. But this author, seeing the connected farm buildings of Maine, New Hampshire, and some parts of Vermont, wanted to find out why this arrangement existed here and not elsewhere. On the way, the "when" question also became important, the received wisdom turned out to be wrong, and the author learned a lot about 19th century farming in New England, as you will too if you read this book. Published 40 years ago, it is rightly considered a classic. Along the same lines, look for Reading Rural Landscapes: A Field Guide to New England's Past by Robert Sanford. You'll never look at the countryside or an abandoned barn in the same way.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing work of architectural and sociocultural theory. While it is academic, and a bit dry, the payoff is really worth it in chapters 5 and 7, where the author attempts to reconstruct the work/life patterns of New England farmers of the late 19th century. While it is narrow in focus, it is of interest to anyone interested in technology studies, particularly anyone interested in how technological change impacts architecture.

I was recently reading Nathaniel Hawthorne lamenting the loss of the open hearth as it was replaced by the iron stove in several of his tales. Hubka explains that the changeover from masonry fireplaces was relatively rapid, occurring between 1820-1850, the peak of the the period in which Hawthorne wrote. I was also reminded of some of my reading of "Carl and Karin Larsson: Creators of the Swedish Style" on a few points. For example Larsson house was constructed of a chain of spaces similar to these New England farm houses, and while we generally attribute the construction of farm houses to the farmers who lived on the property, there were professionals involved. Larsson worked with a master carpenter to create his beloved late-19th century home (converted from a farm house) just as New England farmers employed a variety of journeymen, even though they provided much of the labor themselves.

In short, if you have an interest in how buildings were created and used, not just how they look, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a coffee table book with pretty pictures, give it a pass. It's filled with useful line drawings and vintage photographs, not architecture porn.

[Avree Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well researched and written in such a way that the average layperson can understand. This proved so helpful in acquiring information on a connected farmstead I’m researching for my writing project! I’m so grateful to this book for giving me a glimpse into the past and helping me to understand the way of life in 19th century New England! I so appreciated the supplemental photos and various plans and arrangements to further help me to visualize the concepts talked about within the book.
And now when I drive around my beloved New England I love that I feel like I’m part of some enlightened group that understands the true concept of the Connected Farm!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1984, this book absolutely satisfied my curiosity about the connected building in New England. Written by an architect and historian, every bit of this tome was a fascinating examination of farming practices and the social development of New England. My quotidian views of farm structures has been uplifted by the information within the covers of this text, and as I drive through this region,I will carry the lessons with me on my journeys. This may come to dismay passengers, but I shall enthusiastically hold forth! My gratitude is profound.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful reference book about old New England buildings, their histories and functional parts and how to incorporate many of them into modern day use without totally compromising the integrity of the old classic buildings. As we have an old house that was built in stages over the decades, with two sheds off the back, one that was clearly for animals at one time, we found this both fascinating and helpful. We also have a barn, now adapted as a garage and apartment and valuable storage up above!

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME! Especially for me an architect. Images and plans and elevations to help explain and show how the houses worked. AWESOME!