Bread Load Writer’s Conference

Bread Loaf Inn // 1882

Buildings of New England4 Comments

The Breadloaf Inn is a rare intact example of Vermont’s Victorian resort architecture that also has important associations with the environmental movement and for American literature. Located in the quiet town of Ripton, Vermont, this impressive structure was built in 1882 by eccentric philanthropist Joseph Battell. Mr. Battell attended Middlebury College in the early 1860s but he was forced to abandon his studies due to ill health. On the advice of his doctor, Battell spent a weekend at a farmhouse in nearby Ripton where the clear mountain air would help cure his ailing lungs. He so loved the beauty of the surrounding hills that he decided to buy the old farmhouse, which became known as the Bread Loaf Inn, named for Bread Loaf Mountain not far away. Over the years, numerous new buildings, porches, and barns were added in order to accommodate Battell’s many friends and guests. The Inn, which was remodelled from the farmhouse in 1882, and the surrounding mountains served as Battell’s home and sanctuary for the rest of his long life. He amassed land holdings of over 30,000 acres of forest, preserving it in perpetuity until his death in 1915, becoming the state’s largest landowner when he died. Battell’s vast mountain estate was left to Middlebury College, who brought the seasonal inn back to life as the summer Breadloaf School of English. In 1926 the college added the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, drawing such luminaries as poet Robert Frost, who spent summers at a cabin nearby. The complex is maintained by Middlebury College to this day, who do a great job at preserving the original buildings.

Robert Frost Farm // c.1820

Buildings of New England5 Comments

Robert Frost, the famed American poet is best known for his realistic depictions of rural life in New England. Frequently honored during his lifetime, Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, and in 1961, he was named poet laureate of Vermont, one of his favorite places to write. Though his writing is often beautiful, Robert Frost did suffer tragedies. His beloved wife, Elinor, died in 1938, causing him to resign from a teaching position at Amherst College. In the fall of 1940, the Frost family experienced another tragedy when Robert’s only son Carol committed suicide at 38 years of age. Robert Frost, who suffered from depression himself, would buy this farm in rural Ripton, Vermont, that year. The farm was a respite to escape to nature and be free from painful memories of the past. Frost chose the site eight miles from Middlebury College, and two miles from the Broad Loaf Inn, where each summer the college sponsored the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the oldest and most prestigious writers conference in the country. The farm he purchased was established by and known as the Homer Noble Farm. The farmhouse seemingly dates to the early 19th century, and the property was added to by a cabin built for Mr. Frost to write and occupy when spending summers on the farm. The property would serve as his country retreat for summers away from his main residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, until his death in 1963. The property is now owned by Middlebury College. The grounds are open to the public during daylight hours.