Martha Martin Stewart Haskell (1831-1906) was born in Derby, Vermont and was among the town’s most distinguished residents. Through her parents, Horace Stewart and Catherine Hinman, and her husband, businessman Carlos Haskell, who died in a tragic accident at the age of 41, Martha Haskell inherited a considerable fortune. She would build this stately Second Empire style mansion in the village after her husband’s untimely death and devoted much of her time to local affairs. Decades later, her idea to establish a public library and opera house for the benefit of the border communities came to fruition when she and her son funded and oversaw planning of the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which was built a stone’s throw from her home.
Located on the border of Canada in the northern part of Vermont, Derby is a charming town named after Derby, in England. Located in the region known as the Northeast Kingdom, the area has benefitted from timber, maple sugaring, hop vineyards, and dairy production in its history since it was settled in 1795. This border crossing is located between the villages of Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec, both of which are developed up to the border, and without the security and signage, you’d never guess they are different countries! The cross-border relationship was cemented in part by the construction in 1904 of the Haskell Free Library and Opera House (last post), which straddles the border and provides library services to both communities. This station was formally opened in 1932, when the main building was completed. It is one of several standardized inspection station layouts developed by the United States Treasury Department, and was the largest and most architecturally sophisticated of those built in Vermont in the 1930s. It was built as part of a program to improve border security developed to respond to increased use of the automobile, increased illegal border crossing, and smuggling related to Prohibition. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the border was secured and a new station directly on the border was built.
How many buildings do you know of that straddle two countries?! Well, here is one of the most iconic buildings in Vermont, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House of Derby. The building was gifted to the villages of Derby Line, Vermont and Rock Island, Quebec, by Martha Stewart Haskell and her son, Horace Stewart Haskell, who wanted to leave their mark on the town. The building was designed by James Ball of Rock Island, Quebec and is a high-style structure comprised of both a library and opera house for residents. Designed in a eclectic mix of Romanesque Revival and Classical Revival, there is a lot to look at from both countries! Some of the outstanding features of the building include the structural and ornamental use of granite, stained glass windows imported from Scotland, ornate fireplaces and rich woodworking on the library interior, and one of the most elaborate opera house interiors in a completely preserved condition in Vermont.
Samuel Read Hall (1795–1877) was an American educator, who in 1823, started the first normal school, or school for training of teachers and educators, in the United States. He helped found the American Institute of Instruction in 1829, the oldest educational association in the U.S. He served as pastor in Brownington and Granby, Vermont from v 1846 to 1875 and would also become the principal and teacher at the Orleans County Grammar School in Brownington. He lived in this Federal style house in the village until his death. The Hall House is now a part of the Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village. Fun Fact: Samuel Read Hall is said to have been the earliest person to introduce the blackboard to the American classroom!
Built in 1834 by Cyrus Eaton, a businessman who emigrated to Orleans County from Canada, this cape house blends Federal and Greek Revival styles under a charming roof. Mr. Eaton was a trustee of the Orleans County Grammar School in Brownington, Vermont and helped African American Alexander Lucius Twilight build the Old Stone House. Two of Eaton’s sons and one daughter enrolled at the school, located just nextdoor from their home. In 1971, the property was purchased from a private owner, and has since been part of the Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village’s gorgeous campus.
Across from the Alexander Twilight House (last post) in Brownington, Vermont this massive stone structure which is possibly the first granite public building constructed in the state. Alexander Twilight (1795-1857) is reputed to be the first African American in the United States to graduate from college, where he was likely inspired by the large granite dormitories there (a private institution). Twilight served as headmaster of the Orleans County Grammar School, which due to its rural location, required many students to travel long distances for their education. As a result, they boarded with families in town, including with Twilight. Athenian Hall was built to accommodate the larger number of students attending the Grammar School. The building closed in 1859, two years after the death of Alexander. The building sat vacant for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries until 1918, when the Stone House was put up for auction. A representative of the railroad in the state of Vermont bid on the structure with the hopes of using the granite stones for bridge abutments. Luckily for us, The Orleans County Historical Society outbid the railroad and won the auction. The building was opened as a museum in 1925 and is today part of the Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village.
The highlight of the town of Brownington, Vermont is the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village, a collection of amazing 19th century architecture set amongst the rolling hills of the Northeast Kingdom. One of the buildings in the village is this structure, the Alexander Twilight House. Alexander Twilight (1795–1857) was born in Corinth, Vermont, on September 23, 1795. He was raised by a fair-skinned mother, Mary Twilight, and a mixed-race father, Ichabod Twilight. Twilight entered Middlebury College in 1821 and graduated in 1823, possibly making him as the first person of color to graduate from an American college. Alexander Twilight accepted the call and moved to Brownington to serve as the town’s reverend. He also served as headmaster of the Orleans County Grammar School. To meet growing enrollment needs, he designed, raised funds for, and built the first granite public building in Vermont, Athenian Hall, which contained classrooms and a dormitory. He had this Federal style house built in the village, large enough to house some students in his home. Before building his Federal style home, he lived in a much smaller, vernacular home, which was added onto the rear of this home as an ell (later separated by the museum). Elected to the Vermont General Assembly in 1836, Twilight became the first African American to serve in a state legislature in the United States. In 1847, after conflicts with the Orleans County school administrators, Twilight moved to Quebec, Canada for five years, but then returned to serve as headmaster in Brownington. He died on June 19, 1857 and is buried in the Brownington churchyard.
Welcome to Brownington, Vermont! This small, rural town sits in the Northeast Kingdom region of the state and was granted to Daniel and Timothy Brown in 1790, and named after their family. One of the first roads in Orleans County went through Brownington, connecting Greensboro to Derby. Brownington Village was once a stopping point for stagecoaches traveling between Boston and Canada. This Greek Revival style house was built in 1843 along the stagecoach route to Canada and was built for Thomas C. Stewart. Thomas Carlisle Stewart (1804-1865), an attorney and prominent member of town who was the son of Amherst Stewart, one of the town’s founders. The Stewart home has its gable end extending over the recessed front porch, reading like a temple-front home.
Originally built in the Carpenter Gothic style in 1863, the Sawyer-Gillett Mansion in Whitingham, Vermont, is the highest-style house in town today. Indistinguishable from its Civil War-era original construction, the house was greatly expanded and altered into an elaborate take on Queen Anne / Shingle styles in 1914. The house was originally constructed by John W. Sawyer, but it was his son, Lincoln H. Sawyer who renovated the house and etched his name “L.H. Sawyer” on the glass of the new front door. The updated house style reflects a nostalgic Victorian preference by the owner, who sawed all the trim and materials on site at the family sawmill. It was recently sold and is now a B&B!
This simple Greek Revival style country church in Whitingham, Vermont is similar in form to the Methodist Church (last post) with a gable front double entry, large full pediment, corner pilasters, and centered two-tiered steeple. Also like the Community Church nextdoor, this was built circa 1860 as a church, but for the Universalist Unitarians in town. In 1892, the church was transferred to the Green Mountain Club, giving it the informal name “Green Mountain Hall,” and in 1905 the Town of Whitingham took it over. The building was used for dances, meetings, social gatherings, and other events until the Whitingham Historical Society took it over in a lease in 1971 to develop into a museum. The well-preserved vernacular building with its c.1920 front porch is a great representation of Vermont architecture, reuse for new uses and update. No waste, and a whole lot of charm!
This simple, Greek Revival, frame church has a prominent pediment, corner pilasters, and two part steeple. It is built into a steep bank at the side of the road as it curves and descends into Whitingham Village, making it one of the most visible buildings in town. This church was originally built in 1862 by the Methodists who moved their congregation from their old and deteriorated church in the original Whitingham settlement on Town Hill. By the 1870s, the Methodist congregation was in decline. The Baptist congregation started holding meeting at this church regularly in Sadawga Village in 1879 and then purchased it. They made repairs and alterations in 1881. In historic photographs c. 1890- 1920s, the church’s steeple had third and fourth sections consisting of a narrow octagonal section topped by a small bell shaped dome. By the 1940s photographs show these had been removed. The building now serves as the Whitingham Community Church. My friends who tag along with me on visits throughout New England always say that every town has at least one old, white church. They aren’t wrong!
One of the cutest old houses in Whitingham Village in Vermont is the Abraham F. Chase House, just a stone’s throw from the country store and post office. Abraham Chase was a dealer in dry goods, groceries, boots, shoes, and hardware in this village, possibly from half of this building. The vernacular one-story clapboarded frame house has some Gothic details like the rear steep double gable wall dormer. I am actually a huge fan of the green doors and newer stone porch wall, they really make this cottage pop!
The main part of this stunning Greek Revival house in Whitingham, Vermont was built by Reuben Winn around 1840 and was originally located on the town common, southeast of the present village of Whitingham. The building was the only one to be moved from the hill to the valley as development shifted westward to the current town center and its access to water power for industry. This house was moved in 1889 and was run as the Sadawga Lake House hotel by Charles E. Putnam who also was listed in local directories as a slate dealer. The present slate roof was likely added by Putnam! The architectural element which stood out to me was the three part Palladian window directly above the front door that uses the motifs of the Greek Revival pilasters and entablature common to the other façade elements. The home is very well-preserved and even maintains a detached barn on the property!
To me, Vermont is synonymous with Vernacular architecture. The state obviously has high-style and architect-designed buildings all over, but the character of the state (to me) is based around local builders, local materials, and local traditions. The patchwork of towns and villages in Vermont all have one thing in common, at least one general store. These buildings serve as an informal meeting place or community center where residents and visitors alike can hear the local gossip and events taking place. The general store in Whitingham, Vermont is located in the middle of the village, perfect for stopping in. The building was constructed in the first decade of the 20th century, replacing a former hotel/tavern on the site. The late-folk Victorian style store exhibits some decorative columns and storefronts, likely produced at one of the working lumber mills in town at the time. The store was originally built by Arthur and Carl Wheeler as the “Wheeler Brothers Store” but after 15 years changed hands and became the “F.W. Jillson & Son Store”. Since then, the Jillson’s opened up an antique store in the building which serves as a multi-use facility (collectively as a country store). Keep it local Vermont!
Tucked away on a dirt road in rural Whitingham, Vermont, the Amos Brown House sits among fields of tall grass, bounded by historic stone walls and rows of apple trees planted centuries ago. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at the Amos Brown House this past weekend and it was everything I could have imagined…and more! The property is owned and managed by the Landmark Trust USA, a nonprofit organization based in southern Vermont that preserves and restores historic properties through creative and sustainable uses for public enjoyment, education and inspiration. In the past, I stayed at the Kipling Carriage House, another charming property. The Amos Brown House is thought to be the oldest house in Whitingham, Vermont, and is a well-preserved example of a Federal style brick farmhouse in this part of the state. The telescoping ells of a summer kitchen, barn, chicken house, and shed showcase how farms would grow over time to serve the needs of these families in the undeveloped wilderness of New England. By the time of The Landmark Trust USA’s acquisition of this property in 2000, the house had seriously deteriorated. Inappropriate repairs and alterations in the 1960s and 1970s had weakened the brick walls, leading to severe cracking and small areas of collapse. They underwent a massive restoration of the property inside and out, and it remains an absolute treasure in the state to this day.
Buildings of New England 