West Monitor Barn // 1904

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Located in Richmond, Vermont, this four-and-a-half-story, wood-frame barn with striking monitor roof, is one of two nearly identical such barns on adjacent farms in the small rural farming community. In 1871, Uzziel Stevens Whitcomb (1817-1899) and his brother, acquired adjacent farms on East Main Street in the Winooski River Valley. Uzziel’s farm grew and he created one of the largest dairy farms in Vermont, spanning around six hundred acres with about 120 cows. Uzziel’s son, Moses S. Whitcomb (1842-1933), continued his father’s massive dairy farm and acquired nearby farms, growing his property to span over 900-acres of farmland. In 1901, with one of the largest dairy farms in the state, he erected the first and larger barn, now known as the East Monitor Barn, and in 1904, added a second to the west, the West Monitor Barn. Unlike many barns west of the Green Mountains, this one followed the more traditional northern New England bank barn design with a manure basement, cow stables on the second floor, and two-floors of hay storage above. The barn is now commonly used as a venue for weddings and other special events!

Richmond Congregational Church // 1903

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The Richmond Congregational Church is a stellar example of an early 20th century, wood-frame church building in the small town of Richmond, Vermont. Designed by prominent Burlington architect, Walter R. B. Wilcox in 1903, the building blends many styles that were popular at the time, namely the Shingle, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, into a single composition. The parish hall addition was built in 1984, and is in a sympathetic Colonial Revival style, designed by Burlington architect Donald Albertson. The congregation remains active and maintains the church building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Jonesville Academy // 1868

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Jonesville Academy is a historic schoolhouse located in the village of Jonesville, in the town of Richmond, Vermont. The large, wooden schoolhouse was constructed around 1868 in the Italianate style with center entry tower, bracketed cornice, window and door hoods, and round arched windows, all hallmarks of the style. The building was constructed at the height of the area’s success as an industrial village, and operated as a high school and later as an elementary school until 1955, when schools in Richmond were consolidated. After the school closed, the building operated as a grange hall for a number of years until it reverted back to private ownership, and is today a single-family residence. 

Goodwin House // 1902

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This handsome house in the small town of Richmond, Vermont, was built in 1902 for F. H. Goodwin, a partner of the Richmond Underwear Company, which started in 1900. Goodwin’s brother and his partner were brought from Peekskill, New York to the small town of Richmond to create and manage a new industry to revitalize the town, a program funded by the citizens. F. H. Goodwin was hired as a manager of the company, and built this home in a blending of Shingle and Arts and Crafts styles, common in the early 20th century. The house was unique in that it was the first in town to be electrified as it was directly connected on the grid with the factory next door.

Richmond Universalist Church of the Restoration – Richmond Free Library // 1880

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Adaptive reuse of old churches in New England is fairly common; with most conversions into housing or community centers, but have you seen a church turned into a library? Located in the charming town of Richmond, Vermont, this Victorian Gothic landmark was constructed in 1880 after Universalists in the community decided to leave the Round Church where they shared meeting space with other congregations in town. After WWII, the dwindling congregation sold the church to a resident who then offered the property to the Richmond School District, which had its large school next door. Voters accepted the gift at Town Meeting and passed a bond to convert the building into a cafeteria and gymnasium for the school next door. In the mid-1980s, with a new school built elsewhere in town, the school building was abandoned and converted to the Town Hall, with this former church, which served for years as the school gymnasium and cafeteria, eyed for demolition. It was explored to raze the former church and build a new, modern library building in its place. Preservationists petitioned to save the building, acquiring funds to restore the exterior and convert it to a library, and succeeded. Now the town of Richmond is home to one of the greatest examples of adaptive reuse in the state of Vermont.

Old Round Church // 1812

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The Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont, was built in 1812 on the village common to serve the town’s many congregations as a union church. The building is a master-work of housewright William Rhodes, who documented its construction in his journal and is a vernacular, yet grand Federal period church. While known as the Round Church, the building is actually a sixteen-sided hexdecagon with shallow angle cuts to create the rounded form, so the term round church sounds a little better than the Old Hexdecagon Church! Fifty feet in diameter, the two-story church rises to a hipped roof which is surmounted by a two-stage octagonal belfry with a bellcast cap and weathervane. Within a few decades of the church’s opening, the founding denominations began to move out, building their own houses of worship, and in 1880, the Old Round Church reverted to the Town of Richmond and continued in use as the town’s meeting hall until 1973, at which time safety concerns forced its closure to the public. The Richmond Historical Society was formed in 1973, shortly before the church had to be closed and in 1976, the town deeded the church to the society, who then gathered funds to restore the building. The Old Round Church remains one of the most unique architectural designs in Vermont and is always a treat to drive by in all seasons. The beloved building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000, one of just 18 in Vermont.

Former Richmond School // 1907

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This handsome brick building is located in the historic downtown of Richmond, Vermont, and was built at a time of rapid growth of the small community. Pupils in the town of Richmond originally went to school in small, one-room rural schoolhouses, with the Richmond Academy serving the main village. The old academy building was constructed in 1868 and taught classes from elementary through high school. The building was outgrown as the town grew in the first decade of the 20th century, necessitating a new, larger schoolhouse for the main village. This new school was constructed in 1907, apparently just as the right side and tower, which was expanded with the left half four years later in 1911. Blending Craftsman and Romanesque styles, plans for the school were drawn up by Vermont architect, Frank Lyman Austin. Another rear addition in the 1950s was constructed to meet increased demand until the 1980s when a new elementary school was built in town. Since 1989, the former Richmond School has been home to Richmond town offices. The building, while altered, is an important landmark of the town, showcasing a blending of architectural styles popular in the early 20th century.

Charles F. Roper House // c.1890

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Charles Frederick Roper (1847-1916) was a machinist and inventor who moved to Hopedale, Massachusetts, where he found employment from the Draper Corporation. His inventions were important for the company, and included loom machinery, air supply for motors to prevent overheating, and grinding machines. Before his death, Charles Roper had over 100 patents and from his success, he afforded one of the finest Victorian homes in Hopedale. In around 1890, Charles Roper had this Shingle style residence built on Freedom Street from plans by Robert Allen Cook, a Milford-based architect who was a favorite of the Drapers. The residence sits on a rubblestone first floor with cedar shingles above.

The Larches // 1910

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George Otis Draper (1867-1923) was born in Hopedale and attended MIT to prepare to help run the extremely successful family business, the Draper Corporation in town, which was experiencing a period of rapid growth and expansion of factories. With his position at the company, his wealth afforded him the ability to build a massive country estate known as The Larches. The shingled Colonial Revival style home featured a massive crenelated tower and appeared like a castle in the countryside. George O. Draper sold this home to his aunt Hannah Thwing Draper Osgood in 1909, and within a month, the home burned to the ground. She began construction on the “new Larches“, a shingled mansion with a stunning blending of Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles. The home was likely designed by Robert Allen Cook, who was based out of nearby Milford, MA. The property today is run by Crossroads Clubhouse, an employment and recovery center that offers people with mental health conditions opportunities to achieve their full potential.

Hopedale Unitarian Church // 1898

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The Hopedale Unitarian Church, also known as the Draper Memorial Church, is located in the former industrial village of Hopedale, Massachusetts, and is one of the finest examples of the Neo-Gothic style in the state. The church was funded by brothers George Albert and Eben S. Draper of the Draper Corporation, the largest employer in town, offering to build the new edifice as a memorial to their parents, George and Hannah Draper. The church replaced an earlier, wood-frame church, built on the site in 1860 by supporters of Adin Ballou, a founder of the Hopedale Community, a utopian community that eventually failed. The Drapers hired Boston architect, Edwin J. Lewis, an active Unitarian who had designed several churches around New England by this time. His plan was “English Gothic of the Perpendicular period” made of Milford granite with Indiana limestone trimmings and a roof of green slate. At the interior, roof trusses were left exposed “as in the old English Parish churches” with oak finishes and flooring and memorial stained glass windows by prominent artists. The church remains a visual and historical landmark for the community with an active congregation who preserve the significant building.