Vermont Historic Building

United Church of Christ, Waterbury // 1824

Buildings of New England2 Comments

As soon as settlers arrived in Waterbury, they began worshipping their respective religions, largely out of private homes. The town’s meeting house was occupied by some congregations, but there was no real union church for the many growing congregations. This edifice was originally erected in 1824 as a united Congregational church by local builders, the Carpenter Brothers (how perfect is that?) The church was modernized in about 1860 with Gothic Revival detailing, which included the raising of its foundation, bargeboard, spires, and a new steeple. It was updated later in 1880 with a new chapel and ten years later, with stained glass windows. It remains today as an active church and is in a great state of preservation.

“The Old Corner Store” // 1833

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

White settlement in Waterbury Vermont began in about 1770, with the establishment of a small cluster of houses along the Winooski River near what is now Winooski Street. When Main Street, a stagecoach route paralleling the river opened in the 1790s, development moved to that area, including the construction of churches, residences, and businesses. Industry followed, and a town was formed. Many settlers arrived here from Waterbury, Connecticut, and named their new village Waterbury as a result. Many early commercial buildings were constructed with wood frames, but as the town prospered, businessmen developed more substantial brick blocks. This charming Federal/Greek Revival commercial building was erected in 1833 at the most prominent corner on Main Street in Waterbury, by Leander Hutchins (1798-1879). It is apparently the oldest extant commercial structure in the downtown section of Waterbury! The building has been restored in the late 20th century, down to the multi-pane windows and granite lintels. This building is just so perfect.

Moretown Public Library // c.1845

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

This 1840s Greek Revival home turned library, sits on the main street in the charming rural town of Moretown, Vermont. The quaint village never had a public library, but that changed starting in 1904, when residents and the town established a fund for purchasing books for the town’s citizens. In 1923, the library trustees purchased this residence which would serve as a stand-alone library for the village. Resident Lilla Haylett was instrumental in the accession and conversion of the home for use as a library from the estate of Ellen J. Palmer, who lived there until her death in 1923. The opening and celebration was short-lived however, as in 1927, elevated levels of the Mad River flooded much of the town. Water levels were well over the first floor of the building and nearly all books were lost. The Moretown Memorial Library was nearly lost, but the town rebuilt over years. The library remains today as a testament to the desire for learning and it serves as a landmark for the charming rural village.

South Duxbury Church and Hall // 1855

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

This is the first church ever built in Duxbury, Vermont. On December 18, 1854, at the South Duxbury schoolhouse, representatives from six denominations in the newly formed town, gathered to form the First Union Society of Duxbury. The participants were: the Congregationalists, Universalists, Free Will Baptists, Protestant Methodists, Episcopalian Methodists, and the Adventists. Twenty-five names appear on the original subscription list, indicating the pledged money or materials that each would contribute to the construction of the church. Samuel Cook Turner was contracted to build the church, with pews inside purchased by individual families to help fund the construction. The building is vernacular and modest due to the rural character of the congregations and town’s location, but it has a more Classically inspired door enframement. In 1890, funds were gathered for a church hall, which sits nextdoor. The meeting hall would serve as the meeting space for a temperance organization known as the “Independent Order of the Good Templar”. The church hall appears to have some deferred maintenance, but both buildings together share an early history of a rural and often overlooked small Vermont town.

Coolidge Homestead // c.1840

Buildings of New England1 Comment

In 1876, a four year old Calvin Coolidge moved to this house in sleepy Plymouth Notch, Vermont, which was purchased by his father and he lived here continuously until 1887 when he began to attend the Black River Academy at nearby Ludlow, Vermont. The house was likely built in the mid-19th century as a modest Greek Revival cape and was Victorianized in the late 19th century by Calvin Coolidge’s father, when he added the two-story bay window, dormer, and side additions. The house remained in the Coolidge family until 1956 when it was given to the State of Vermont as part of the Calvin Coolidge Historic Site.

Coolidge Cheese Factory // 1890

Buildings of New England2 Comments

Does it get more Vermont than a cheese factory?! The Coolidge Cheese Factory in Plymouth Notch, Vermont was built in 1890 by Col. John Coolidge (President Calvin Coolidge‘s father), James S. Brown, and two other local farmers so that they would have a convenient market processing milk produced by their farms into cheese. The vernacular building was a short walk from the original Coolidge home and is evocative of many such buildings in rural Vermont. The cheese factory continued to operate until the 1930’s. The factory was renovated in the early 1970s in honor of President Coolidge’s 100th birthday and now produces cheese according to the original formula. The cheese would make a great Christmas gift!

Union Christian Church of Plymouth Notch // 1840

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Located next to President Calvin Coolidge’s birthplace and the Coolidge Family store, the Union Christian Church of Plymouth Notch in Vermont stands as another of the village’s well-preserved buildings with direct ties to the former president. The church was built in 1840 as a modest, vernacular Greek Revival building with a two-stage tower and originally was the town’s meetinghouse. The building was dedicated as a Congregational church in 1842. President Coolidge attended services here as a child and later when visiting his hometown as Governor of Massachusetts and President of the United States. In 1942, the
building became a union church for all congregations.

Coolidge Family Store // c.1830

Buildings of New England3 Comments

Built before 1835, this typical country store in Plymouth, Vermont, consists of a two-story main block with a one-story storage ell on the southern (left) side, each of frame and clapboard with gabled roof. The building was the village’s country store and was owned by the Coolidge Family, made famous by Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. This store was built years before a home for the Coolidge Family was built attached at the rear. The attached house was the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge in 1872, and the building was where after the death of President Warren Harding, Col. John Coolidge, Calvin’s father, a notary public, administered the presidential oath of office to his son in the family dining room at 2:47 a.m. on August 3, 1923. The old house and store are preserved by the State of Vermont as a living museum to President Coolidge and his family.

President Calvin Coolidge Birthplace // 1840

Buildings of New England5 Comments

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth, Vermont preserves the birthplace and childhood home of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. This iconic historic village appears much as it was during Coolidge’s lifetime. The homes of the Coolidge family, their relatives and friends are joined by the 1840 church, 1890 schoolhouse, cheese factory, and historic agricultural structures and barns. More on all of these later. First up is the birthplace of President Coolidge. This squat 1 1/2-story dwelling was built in 1840 at the rear of the Coolidge Family store which fronts the main road. By the 20th century, the old home was altered, but was restored in 1971 just in time for the 100th birthday celebration by the State of Vermont for Coolidge, dedicating the village as a historic museum.

Manley-Lefevre House // c.1820

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The last (but certainly not least) building in Dorset, Vermont I’ll be featuring is the Manley-Lefevre House aka. Marble House! This stunning Federal period home was built around 1820 by Martin Manley (1783-1856) on land originally owned by his father George. The house is constructed of ashlar marble that was quarried with hand tools from the lower quarry located approximately 200′ behind the site of the house with dressed marble finished in town and brought back for installation at the lintels, sills, and door surround. In 1907, Edwin Lefevre, Sr. (1871-1943) traveled by train from Bronxville, New York to Dorset at the suggestion of the artist Lorenzo Hatch, with the intention of locating a summer residence for his family. They purchased this home, which became known as “The Old Stone House” and hired Eugene J. Lang, a New York architect, to remodel the house, design a kitchen wing and remodel the barn into a garage (1909). While in Italy, Lefevre fell in love with the formal gardens there, and wanted something like this for his country estate. Upon his return, he retained garden designer Charles Downing Lay to design the gardens that surround the house. The country estate is now home to The Marble House Project, a multi-disciplinary artist residency program.