Chester VT

Chester Public Tomb and Hearse House // 1850

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Near the entrance to the Brookside Cemetery in the charming village of Chester, Vermont, these two very different looking buildings were constructed for one purpose, death. Before the proliferation of funeral homes and cremation, infrastructure for the dead was a necessary piece of the built environment for towns and cities all over the region. The wood-frame building seen here was built as a hearse house, which would shelter the horse-drawn hearse for the town. Prior to the advent to funeral homes, most wakes were held at the home of the deceased, after-which, the body would be transported by the horse-drawn hearse to the cemetery for burial. This was followed by a memorial service at the nearby church. If the ground was frozen or if the family did not yet have the funds to bury their family member, the body would be held in the public tomb until the burial. The Chester Public Tomb dates to 1850 and was built by local mason, Arvin Earle from stone  quarried near Gassetts, a hamlet in the north part of Chester that was shipped to Chester Depot by the newly completed railroad. While no longer in use, these two vernacular buildings hold a very important history of the town and have been lovingly preserved by local residents. 

Chester Congregational Church // 1828

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A significant landmark in Chester, Vermont, the Congregational Church of Chester is a sophisticated interpretation of ecclesiastical Federal architecture. Built in 1828, the soaring, five-stage clock-and-bell tower with bellcast cap and weathervane rises above a pedimented three-bay entrance pavilion with semi-elliptical fanlight, a common motif in the style. It is believed that local carpenters, Comfort Carpenter Dresser and his son, Charles Dresser, built the church, likely from planbooks for specific details. The church originally served as the Union Meeting House for Congregational, Methodist, and Universalist parishioners until around 1848, when other churches set off to build their own structures, after this, the Congregationalists remained here. Today, due to years of dwindling membership and a small population in the surrounding area, the church is “replanting” to reactivate membership and realign with community needs. Hopefully this significant church will be preserved in the future, possibly through preservation grants!

Whiting Library // 1891

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The Whiting Library in Chester, Vermont, was designed by architect George H. Guernsey, and is said to be the only building in the village designed by a regionally significant architect. For the design, Guernsey created an eclectic library blending Romanesque and Queen Anne influences that strikingly enhance the library’s relatively modest physical stature. The building was named to honor Chester physician, Laurin G. Whiting and his wife, Abigail, who donated funds for the land and building. The polychromatic brick and granite building features unique gables, corner tower, and arched openings, which were carried over to a lesser scale into an addition a few decades ago.

William Pollard House // 1899

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This high-style and ornamental house in Chester, Vermont, ranks among the state’s best examples of the Queen Anne style. The residence was constructed in 1899 for William Pollard (1854-1941), a local businessman who owned a shirtwaist manufactory in town with his brother, who lived next door. The painted-lady Victorian house features an asymmetrical plan highlighted by a three-story octagonal corner tower that is surrounded by a wrap-around porch with a delicate spindled frieze. The use of accent colors in the paint scheme further highlight the millwork details on the residence, which have all been preserved for well over a century. 

Chester Masonic Temple // 1907

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Built in 1907, this handsome building on Main Street in Chester, Vermont, has long been the home to the Olive Branch Lodge 64 of the Freemasons, an international fraternal organization. Colonial Revival in style, the building features corner pilasters that support a denticulated entablature along the eaves of the slate hip roof. A projecting portico over the front entrance is supported by classical Ionic columns. The 1920s marked a heyday for Freemasonry, especially in the United States. By 1930, over 12% of the adult male population of the United States were members of the fraternity. Following the Great Depression and WWII, membership sharply declined in fraternal organizations, like the Masonic Temple. A number of years ago, the Lodge here moved to a new building in a nearby town, and a local law firm purchased the building and spent 18 months renovating the building for use. Today, the historic character and even symbology remain on the building, while it houses a local business. 

Comfort C. Dresser House // 1799

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Built just before the turn of the 19th century, this handsome five-bay vernacular Federal period house is located on the charming Main Street of Chester, Vermont, and is one of the oldest extant houses in the village. The residence was built in 1799 by Comfort Carpenter Dresser (1777-1856), who with his family, moved from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the town of Chester, where he found work as a carpenter and housewright, a fitting profession due to his middle name. The family resided here for nearly 30 years until they moved to New Hampshire. The beautiful home, painted a bright white sometime in the 20th century, features a front door with sidelights, 12-over-12 sash windows, and a symmetrical facade, common for the style. 

Robbins & Marsh Store // c.1858

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Located in the Chester Depot Village, a commercial and civic assortment of buildings constructed in the mid-19th century between the often feuding North and South villages in Chester, Vermont, this handsome commercial building contributes to the character and history of the once thriving commercial center of town. Built across the tracks of the Central Vermont Railroad from the town’s depot, this Italianate style building dates to about 1858 when a P. H. Robbins opened an all-in-one store, selling everything from groceries to hardware and building products. Mr. Marsh was later joined by Frederick W. Marsh, who entered into the business, then named the Robbins & Marsh Store. The business thrived with the close proximity to the railroad depot with later alterations to the building including the addition of plate glass storefronts and a massive side awning porch. Business slowed after WWII, as rail service slowed and ultimately stopped in town. Today, the handsome building remains as an important visual anchor to the depot village. 

Chester Depot // 1872

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The first public train arrived in Chester, Vermont, on July 18, 1849, and in December, the Rutland & Burlington Railroad opened the first rail line across Vermont linking the Connecticut River valley at Bellows Falls and Lake Champlain at Burlington. A fire destroyed the first station in 1871, and the Vermont Central Railroad built the current station within a year. The State of Vermont purchased the line in 1963, leasing it in part to the Green Mountain Railroad. Exceptional in Vermont, this brick station retains its high-style Italianate design and continues in railroad use. The station can be classified as Italianate/Romanesque in style and has a corbeled cornice, windows capped by brick hood moldings, and a projecting trackside awning. It appears that the station is not in active use, does anyone know more?

Chester Academy – Chester Historical Society // 1884

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The town of Chester, Vermont, is one of the best small towns in the state for architecture lovers! Don’t believe me? I will prove it in this upcoming series. Located in Chester Village, the town’s center, this handsome brick building set off the main street, was built in 1884 as the town’s high school, replacing an 1814 private academy formerly on the site. The private academy closed in 1881, and the building was sold to the town, who by 1884, demolished the original structure and erected the current Italianate style building. The building served as the town high school until 1911, when a new high school was constructed nearby. The elementary and junior high school operated from here until the 1950s, when a modern school was constructed in town. Since 1950, the former academy building has been used by the Chester Art Guild, and currently is leased from the Town by the Chester Historical Society. The structure retains its architectural character down to the segmental arched windows and cupola.

Snell House // 1849

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Amasa Snell (1794-1850) and his son Nelson built this house, just a year before his death. The house is yet another example of the vernacular snecked ashlar construction method, which Chester, Vermont is known for. This house is located in the rural Trebo section of town, an area where many of the masons who built these snecked ashlar homes lived. It stands out for the use of light and dark stone laid in alternating rows. This house is perfect!

Durand House // 1861

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One of the most visually striking homes in little Chester, Vermont, is the Durand House. Sited prominently on a hill, the 1861 home resembles a wedding dress in bright white with intricate spindles that look like lace. The house was seemingly built for Urban Durand, one of the proprietors of the successful Durand Brothers Market in Chester village. The home has an elaborately trimmed full-front porch with a second-story polygonal balcony, and a three-story corner tower with a shallow mansard roof, all possibly later additions. The house stands out in the village, which is largely dominated by classical Federal and Greek Revival houses.

Blaisdell House // 1868

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This Italianate style house was built in 1868 for Augustus and Laura Blaisdell, natives of New Hampshire who moved here to Chester, Vermont, in 1860. The Blaisdell’s operated a company that manufactured fireproof roofing and paint at their home base in New Hampshire, and built this building on a prominent site in the village to promote sales, which were conducted from a storefront on its ground floor. The location of the Blaisdell House alongside the tracks of the local railroad depot, was strategic in order to provide ease in the transportation of goods to the village of Chester Depot from the New Hampshire-based headquarters of A.H. Blaisdell & Co.The home and store is significant in the local economy and is itself, a significant example of the Italianate style in town.

Chester Tin Shop // c.1830

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Located on the edge of the Chester Town Green, you can find this beautiful Federal style commercial building. The use of blind arches at the facade is a fairly common feature found in brick Federal style buildings in Vermont. The structure was built around 1830 and has served a variety of uses through its existence, the most notable being the tin shop owned by various members of the Miller and Hadley families that sold stoves and hardware during the latter half of the 19th century. The tin business in New England grew rapidly after 1820. Tin shop owners imported tinplated sheet iron from Great Britain, shaped it into a variety of forms, and distributed their finished goods through peddlers and country stores. They also sold tinware in their shops. Colanders, dippers, dish kettles, funnels, measures, and pans were in greatest demand. Other common items included lanterns, foot stoves, teapots, coffeepots, “tin kitchens”, skimmers, and sconces. After its use as a tin shop, the building was occupied as a telephone exchange and electric utility company office. It presently is home to an antique store.

Gingerbread Apartments // c.1850

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Built in the mid-19th century this former home in Chester, VT, exhibits the range in tastes seen from the Classically inspired Greek Revival style to the ornate and over-the-top Queen Anne style. The original 1850 Greek Revival design of the house survives in its temple form and classical details, augmented by a visually dominant overlay of Queen Anne features. The house was acquired sometime after 1870 by the Haselton family, whose daughter Hattie married John Greenwood. The Greenwoods undertook a major renovation of the building about 1900, adding the elaborate front porch and other features, giving it the wedding cake or lace-like appearance we see today. The home was converted to apartments in the 1960s, but retains much of its architectural details, it is best known as the Gingerbread Apartments.

Chester Town Hall // 1884

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The town of Chester, Vermont, was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead, in 1754. The terms of the charter were not met and the town was re-chartered as New Flamstead in 1761. In 1766, a patent was issued by New York that changed the name of the town to Chester, after George Augustus Frederick, the Earl of Chester and the eldest son of King George III. Vermont in the 18th century was contested land claimed by both New Hampshire and New York, unsettled until the colonists in the area decided to petition for their own statehood. The town of Chester voted to keep their name. The town grew with two distinct villages, Chester Village and Stone Village. Both villages were very distinct in terms of politics, religious affiliations, and architecture. When the railroad cut through the town, the route passed between Chester’s North and South villages, and Chester Depot village emerged right in the middle. The establishment of a third village by the railroad depot, offered neutral ground on which to erect a town hall, as before 1884, town meetings were held alternately each year in the two opposing villages. The large town hall building in Depot Village is a late example of Greek Revival and Italianate design.