Brownington Village Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Brownington Village Historic District is a historic site in Brownington
, Vermont
, United States
. It is located near the intersection of Hinman
and Brownington Center Roads. It was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
on June 9, 1973. The district consists of five buildings within the Old Stone House Museum complex and three neighboring houses, dating from the early 19th century.
route from Boston to Montreal. Prior to 1816, it was one of two county seats. Residents developed a number of facilities to take advantage of the town's situation.
alone constructed this four-story granite building which was used as a dormitory for students at the Orleans County Grammar School, nearby. He called it "Athenian Hall." Granite was almost never used in building construction in the early 19th century in Orleans County. No one knows where the granite came from.
The dormitory closed in 1859, two years after Twilight's death. The Orleans County Historical Society bought it in 1918 for $500.
It is called "The Old Stone House Museum
" today.
It is one of the best-preserved institutional buildings of its era in the United States. It is a museum that contains collections of 18th, 19th, and early 20th century furniture, paintings, decorative art, folk art, tools and household items.
's own house, which he built in 1830. The house provided living quarters for several students and continued to be used for students even after the Stone House/Athenian Hall was built. The Orleans County Historical Society bought it in 1999. It has been restored and serves as a visitor center for the Museum and as an office for the Historical Society's.
Alexander Twilight House. It was donated to the Museum in 1978. It is now an education center.
style. The building has been has been thoroughly restored, down to the cedar shake roof. It contains the archives and research collections of the Historical Society. Behind the house is a well established mid- nineteenth century perennial
garden.
in 1831 by George West. It was the home of Samuel Read Hall
for 21 years. Hall taught at the Orleans County Grammar School.
Purchased in 2006, the Samuel Read Hall House is now the focus of restoration.
. In 1898, Strong built an observatory
at the top. This was recreated by the Grange in 1975 for the national bicentennial and rebuilt again in 1998.
Brownington, Vermont
Brownington is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 885 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.4 square miles , of which 28.3 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located near the intersection of Hinman
Hinman Settler Road
The Hinman Settler Road was constructed by former Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Hinman from 1791-1795 in Orleans County, Vermont. Hinman's intent was to help develop the land he owned in Derby....
and Brownington Center Roads. It was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 9, 1973. The district consists of five buildings within the Old Stone House Museum complex and three neighboring houses, dating from the early 19th century.
History
In the early 19th century, Browington was a community on the Hinman Settler Road, a primary route in the county. It was on the stagecoachStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
route from Boston to Montreal. Prior to 1816, it was one of two county seats. Residents developed a number of facilities to take advantage of the town's situation.
Old Stone House (Athenian Hall)
Alexander TwilightAlexander Twilight
Alexander Lucius Twilight , born free in Vermont, was the first black person known to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university upon graduating Middlebury College in 1823. An educator, minister and politician, he was licensed as a Congregational preacher, and worked in...
alone constructed this four-story granite building which was used as a dormitory for students at the Orleans County Grammar School, nearby. He called it "Athenian Hall." Granite was almost never used in building construction in the early 19th century in Orleans County. No one knows where the granite came from.
The dormitory closed in 1859, two years after Twilight's death. The Orleans County Historical Society bought it in 1918 for $500.
It is called "The Old Stone House Museum
Old Stone House Museum
The Old Stone House Museum, a student dormitory once known as Athenian Hall, is a museum run by the Orleans County Historical Society in Brownington, Vermont. The building is a part of the Brownington Village Historic District, a district of ten historic buildings added to the National Register of...
" today.
It is one of the best-preserved institutional buildings of its era in the United States. It is a museum that contains collections of 18th, 19th, and early 20th century furniture, paintings, decorative art, folk art, tools and household items.
Alexander Twilight House
Across the road from the Old Stone House is Alexander TwilightAlexander Twilight
Alexander Lucius Twilight , born free in Vermont, was the first black person known to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university upon graduating Middlebury College in 1823. An educator, minister and politician, he was licensed as a Congregational preacher, and worked in...
's own house, which he built in 1830. The house provided living quarters for several students and continued to be used for students even after the Stone House/Athenian Hall was built. The Orleans County Historical Society bought it in 1999. It has been restored and serves as a visitor center for the Museum and as an office for the Historical Society's.
Lawrence Barn
This is an English-style barn, built during the first half of the 19th century. It is similar to the one that was originally associated with the Twilight House. It was moved to its present site in 1997. It houses an exhibit illustrating two centuries of farming in Orleans County.Museum Education Center
This building was probably the original house on the site of theAlexander Twilight House. It was donated to the Museum in 1978. It is now an education center.
Cyrus Eaton House
A friend of Twilight, Cyrus Eaton, built this house in 1834. The architecture is a late Federal-style, partially remodeled in the vernacular Greek RevivalGreek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style. The building has been has been thoroughly restored, down to the cedar shake roof. It contains the archives and research collections of the Historical Society. Behind the house is a well established mid- nineteenth century perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
garden.
Samuel Read Hall House
This house was built in the Federal styleFederal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
in 1831 by George West. It was the home of Samuel Read Hall
Samuel Read Hall
Samuel Read Hall was an American educator.He was born in Croydon, New Hampshire, the son of a clergyman. When he was only three years old, his family moved to Guildhall, Vermont. Samuel was home schooled and never attended a college. In 1814 be was employed as a teacher in Rumford, Maine...
for 21 years. Hall taught at the Orleans County Grammar School.
Purchased in 2006, the Samuel Read Hall House is now the focus of restoration.
Brownington Congregational Church and Village Cemetery
The church was completed in 1841. Both Twilight and Hall were ministers there. In 1899 Brownington native William Barstow Strong, who had attended the Orleans County Grammar School, paid for extensive remodeling of the church's interior and furnished a bell and spire for the belfry.Prospect Hill and Observatory Tower
When the classrooms of the grammar school were nearby, students climbed this hill for evening vespersVespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
. In 1898, Strong built an observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
at the top. This was recreated by the Grange in 1975 for the national bicentennial and rebuilt again in 1998.