The program, under the auspices Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation through a grant from the Cultural Heritage Development Fund of the Connecticut Humanities Council, will document significant, historic barns in Connecticut.  The photos will be published on the website www.connecticutbarns.org.  The website will become a central repository for barn survery, research and general information accessible to all.

In Oxford, the Municipal Historian has researched the assessor's field cards and located all buildings listed as barns and coops (regardless of age), as well as sheds or "garages" built before 1850.  Three hundred buildings have been identified.  Persons interested in helping to document the buildings are invited to sign up for a particular barn or a particular street or streets and photograph the buildings in what is called a "windshield survey."

Volunteers work in teams photographing the barns from the road and not entering private property.  Only in cases where the volunteer knows the property owner and obtains permission, will the photography be taken from private property.  In addition, any owners of barns who might be willing to photograph their own barns for documentation will be appreciated.

To volunteer to participate in the survey, please contact the Municipal Historian by email at dottie@oxford-historical-society.org.  Persons without email may call Dorothy A. DeBisschop at 203-888-4159 to volunteer.  The use of digital photography is encouraged, but standard photo prints may also be taken and scanned either by the photographer or by the municipal historian (see note in chart below).

Volunteers may choose a street or streets to photograph, or even individual barns to photograph.  Please contact the municipal historian to select the barns you will photograph, so that duplication will be eliminated and no barns will be left out.  As the photographing progresses, we will update the addresses and photos of all buildings inventoried. 

We will save a set of all photos for the Oxford Historical Society collection and make sure that all historic barns are included in the state listing.  See the links at the bottom of this page for more detailed information on the state project.