Hanging lean-to

 Located in West Cumberland, Maine the barn we have recently been working on is part of a farmstead originally belonging to Capt. Joseph Blanchard. The house is a large 2 room deep, 2 story, center chimney federal. The other buildings on the property include a 22'x39' carriage shed and a 44'x60' circa 1840's dropped plate Western barn.
 While working on the barn Otis and I found evidence of a now demolished Lean-to (sometimes referred to as a linter) which ran the full length (60') of the eaves wall. This is not at all unusual to see in both Western (gable entry) or converted English (side entry) barns. As a consequence we gave little notice to the particulars of the lean-to's construction, but we did point it out to the barn's owners. The next day the customer brought out a lithograph view of the farmstead circa 1860 with the lean-to in place. To our surprise the lean-to had no posts.

The property as it looked in the 1860's.

 After taking a thorough look at the evidence on the building it seems quite certain the lean-to never had posts. We are also pretty sure it was cut and erected at the same time as the rest of the barn.
  The lean-to's dimensions were 60' long, 8' deep, 6'7"  from top of sill to top of tiebeam/eave, with a 9/12 roof pitch.

The barn as it looks today with dormers added in the 1940's to accommodate laying chickens.

Eaves wall post with half-lap for lean-to rafter.

Mortise and broken off tenon of  lean-to tiebeam.