In 2006, Preservation Connecticut, then the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, realized that historic barns across the state were being demolished or allowed to fall down. What could be done to save them? Where were they? How many are there? How can we get people across the state to be interested in barns? All of this was unknown. My guest, Todd Levine, was hired to help answer those critical questions. Todd is currently the Environmental Review officer and Connecticut Freedom Trail Coordinator at the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office of the Dept. of Economic and Community Development. He is an architectural historian and received his graduate degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

What did my guest discover about Connecticut's barns? Find more in this episode and by going to Preservation Connecticut's barns website at: preservationct.org/barnshttps://preservationct.org/barns

Hilltop Farm was built by Indian Motorcycle co-founder, George Hendee, starting in 1913, as a gentleman's retirement farm. Construction of Hendee's signature dairy barn was completed in 1914.

The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop (FOFAH), a nonprofit, own 11 acres where the "Big White Barn", outbuildings and house sit. The link to their website is here: fofah.org/

Our thanks to Preservation Connecticut for sponsoring this episode. preservationct.org/

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This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O'Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com/ Follow Grating the Nutmeg on Facebook and Instagram.

Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at West Hartford Town Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!