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| Welcome To Brandon, Vermont
Unhurried, Unspoiled, Unforgettable |
The
Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce is your one-stop source |
self-guided Historic Walking Tour of Brandon, Vermont |
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The following is the text of a self-guided historic walking tour of downtown Brandon. You may pick up a printed copy at the Information Booth (at the corner of Route 7 and Park St.) or by contacting the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce. WELCOME TO BRANDON, chartered 1761 Your tour begins at the Brandon Information Booth, at the junction of Routes 7 and 73E. The Information Booth houses a complete selection of local and state brochures and maps. This self-guided walking tour takes approximately an hour to walk and is about 2 ½ miles in length. 1) Cross Route 7 and walk in front of the Methodist Church (yellow church), built in 1876 at a cost of $17,500. It is of Gothic Revival style. In 1934 the church edifice was badly damaged by fire. In 1950 the sanctuary had to be restored following the hurricane that damaged several structures in town. The church has been repainted to its original color. 2) The Whittaker Real Estate office building next to the Church, was built in 1877 and was originally used as the Methodist parsonage. 3) Turn right onto Route 7 and view the statue in the yard at the second house (taken in for the winter). The home was a doctor’s office for more than 125 years. Cross Route 7. 4) The Brandon Free Public Library was known as the Parmenter Block and housed a grain store, a hospital, and district school at one time. It has been a library since 1910. Walk up Park Street. 5) The Lilac Inn at #53 Park Street was built as a summer residence for Albert G. Farr who grew up in Brandon but made his fortune in Chicago. The house was passed to his daughter, Shirley Farr, in 1942. The Farr’s philanthropy over the years gave Brandon a monument honoring Stephen A. Douglas, an observatory on Mount Pleasant which was later used to watch for planes during WWII, as well as our current sewer system. The Farrs also donated the land to create Branbury State Park, which is on Lake Dunmore. Over the years the building has been a home for the elderly as well as a country inn. Continue to the end of the street. 6) Cross Park Street. Rowe Real Estate, on the corner of Marble and Park Streets, was a farm home built in 1830. The house was at one time owned by the Cary family. Mrs. Cary once found a bear eating one of her pigs. She beat the bear continuously to save the pig until her husband came home! 7) 74 Park Street now serves as the parsonage for the Congregational Church. It was originally the Dr. Dana house, built c. 1800 in the Greek-Revival style with later additions in the 1850s. The basement in this house is made of marble slabs. Park Street, as well as Pearl, (later in the tour), was originally laid out wide to be suitable for militia training. Fabulous Victorian-era homes filled in the fields. Notice marble details in the curbs and hitching posts. 8) From 1915 to 1922 the home at 28 Park Street was the office of the Ayrshire Breeders Assn. A cement vault 6' x 10' with double bank vault doors and the association name is in the rear of the house. 9) Now a real estate and insurance office, the Greek Revival-Style house at 24 Park Street was built c. 1860. It was once the home of Ebenezer Ormsbee who served as a Captain in the Civil War, a lawyer, a Vermont State Senator, and Governor in 1888. 10) The Brandon Inn Annex (the white house next to the Inn) was built by John Howe, Jr., one of the principals of the Brandon Car Wheel Company and then the Howe Scale Company. The house was acquired around 1900 as an annex for the Brandon Inn and houses several apartments. 11) The Brandon Inn, originally known as the Brandon House, is perhaps the oldest continuously running Inn in Vermont. The original c.1796 tavern was destroyed by fire in 1890 and rebuilt in 1892. In the center of Park St. is a Civil War Monument with a replica eight-foot soldier paying homage to the 54 Brandon soldiers killed in action or who died in service. It is made of Barre, VT granite. 12) The First Nat’l Bank and the Brandon Nat’l Bank were both incorporated in 1863. The two merged in 1952 under the name of First Brandon National Bank, and set up in this 1919 building. 13) The Congregationalists organized in 1785 and built this church in 1832, the only one in town that still has its original steeple. The church was built of Brandon brick. The tower houses the Town Clock. The Chapel was built in 1858. The Brandon Town Cemetery land was procured in 1788 and is next to the church. Here lie early Brandon settlers and veterans of the Revolutionary War. 14) The Smith Block was built in 1889 after a devastating fire destroyed the previous building. The second and third floors are vacant now but at one time housed the Masons, the Grange, a dentist’s office, and a dance studio. On Center St., across from The Smith Block, the buildings are of 20th & 21st century construction. Over the years, Brandon had its share of devastating fires. In July of 1922, a fire destroyed this whole portion of the block. Fires also destroyed major parts of the town in 1918, 1936 and 1943. 15) Kennedy Park offers a commanding view of Brandon's man-made Neshobe Falls. The buildings across the river are owned by the Brandon Mill and Lumber Company. The word Neshobe has its origins as an Abenaki word for "double-pond" and was the name of the town for 23 years, before changing to Brandon. 16) The town office building was the original site of the First National Bank. The 1828 Federal/Greek Revival Style is one of the oldest commercial buildings in the village. The old vault is used by the town clerk. 17) Cross the street and look over the bridge to the left. You will see the former generating station, now a private studio. Hortonia Light and Power Co. first owned this building and then Central Vermont Public Service Co. 18) 4 Conant Square (with the large windows), was built around the turn of the century as the earliest flour mill. It was later redone to serve as an auto showroom. It now housesan art studio. 19) The Brandon Fire Station, c. 1888, served as the town's fire house until late 1998. A tower and decorative bargeboard along the gable and the tower eaves characterize the building. 20) Brandon’s beautiful Town Hall was built in 1861 by John Conant. A capital campaign to preserve the Town Hall and bring it back to full use is on the town’s agenda. 21) The Briggs Carriage building and the two to its right were built in the late 1800s by the same family as each other. Briggs housed carriage and chair manufacturers. The middle building was a gas station. 22) Past the 1960s-era gas station is the Episcopal Church built in 1863. This is an excellent example of Gothic-Revival architecture. The architect, John Henry Hopkins, was the first Bishop of Vermont. Daniel Robbins, the priest here in 1876, wrote "God of Our Fathers" for that year’s July 4th celebration. 23) The corner red brick house was built by one of the wealthiest men in Brandon, John Conant, in 1802. Conant came to Brandon in 1796 at the age of 23 and his family led Brandon's business community for the next 50 years. When this house was built, it was without fireplaces. Conant designed an upright stove which kept women from bending over all day. 24) 27 Conant Square is an 1849 Greek Revival made from local marble. The marble was cut and finished at a small quarry one mile from the village and drawn to the site by oxen. The outside columns indicated that a mason lived here and that they welcomed traveling masons. 25) 29 - 35 Conant Square used to serve as a hotel but was never as fashionable as The Brandon Inn. It now houses apartments. 26) Across the street is a large white painted brick building, c. 1818, which had been known as "The Town House" and accommodated overnight guests. The front entryway has etched glass windows, sidelights and a transom light. It is now senior housing. 27) Walk toward the Baptist Church and cross Route 7. On the island is the marble monument in memory of Stephen A. Douglas presented to the town on the centennial of Douglas' birth. The front bronze tablet has a bas relief portrait of Douglas. The back is a replica of a Douglas monument from the University of Chicago. To the right of the Baptist Church is the Stephen A. Douglas home. Douglas was born on April 23, 1813. He was known as "The Little Giant," standing at only 5'2". He is best known for the debates that he held with Abraham Lincoln. A little known fact is that prior to the presidential race, Douglas ran against Lincoln in a senatorial race in Illinois and won. He was known as a great orator. 28) The Baptist Church, c.1832, lost its steeple to a hurricane in 1950. The steeple was replaced in 2000 after several years of fund-raising. Walk across Route 73 and look at the unique angle shape of the gable-end of the brick house on the corner 29) Stay on the sidewalk and head down Pearl Street. Notice 9 Pearl, a rambling three-gabled, wood-shingle house which is actually three small dwellings that were moved together more than 100 years ago. 30) 11 Pearl Street, known as The Marsh House, is one of the most ornate homes in Brandon. Built in 1852, it took two years for R. V. Marsh to build it after moving his home and law office from across the street. Marsh, an ardent abolitionist, served in the Vermont legislature from 1856-1858. The home is now a private residence. A tour option here is to walk down Pearl Street and enjoy the shaded street. As you head toward the railroad bridge, notice various brick and wood Federal-Style homes that date between 1805 and 1832. On the right, just on the other side of the railroad bridge, is the Farrington homestead, built in 1799. This is the oldest remaining house in the village. Walk back on Pearl Street toward town. When you reach the top of Pearl Street, turn right and head back into town. We hope you enjoyed your tour of Historic Brandon.
The hiking tour will begin at the southern end. This is the direction in which Amos Cutler, first white settler, traveled from the last outpost of civilization, which was south of Pittsford, and staked his claim on the west side of Hawk Hill in 1772. Our approach is certainly much easier than his. Drive to Otter Valley Union High School (three miles south of downtown Brandon on Route 7) and park in their parking lot (southern end). Strike off south, across the soccer field, to the very farthest corner on the right before you get to the football field. There is a little path into the woods here which takes you down steeply to a swamp and brook. After this the path rises sharply and continues up for a long time to the ridge of Hawk Hill. There are several side paths that branch off, but your goal is to continue on the steepest route to the top. The path then curves abruptly to the right and levels off. Here, you will be rewarded with the first visible remnant of Old Brandon. On your left is the Ambler/June Cemetery. John Ambler and David June (his son-in-law) were the second white settlers who came to the area. The cemetery has a nice stone enclosure and tidy steps, but only two gravestones remain in this woodland haven. One headstone holds the names David and Prudence June, the other reads John and Sarah Ambler (Prudence's parents). Their ages and dates are inscribed and on the Ambler's stone the epitaph reads: "Pray children call as you pass by. And learn by us that you must die. We once in life were blithe and gay. But now are moldering into clay." Continuing on the trail, there are six identified cellar holes along this stretch of road although several are elusive. There is a rocky ridge (Hawk Hill) to the right of the path which moves increasingly farther away. As the path begins to slope downhill and the ridge is at a good distance, there is a snarl of trees in the woods to your right (or east). Because the trees are growing out of the cellar hole it looks, from the path, like the trees are growing on the other side of a hill although the ground appears to be flat. It's hard to describe so you might have to do some poking around in the woods before you stumble upon it. This is believed to be David and Prudence June's homestead. It must have been a lovely spot. The hill rises gently behind the house and slopes down to the road in front. When it was all cleared with fields and pastures they must have had a lovely sunset. You will find other treasures along this peaceful pathway. Amos Cutler had the next homestead on the right. Where the road bends to the left, Joshua Goss had a log house on the left side of the road. Later he sold the place and moved to higher ground half a mile north. You can follow stone walls all along the road with breaks and junctions. Imagine who owned what and who built them. The last three cellar holes are on the right or east side of the road. When you get to a path that turns off to the right you are on top of these cellar holes. Two cellar holes flank this side path, and the other is a bit farther to the south. These once belonged to Samuel Schofield, James Ambler (who married each others’ sisters), and the Rossiter family. The Rossiter cellar hole is now full of rusty metal junk among the vines and trees. (Some of this trash is almost as interesting as the cellar hole.) Now you have come to the end of the really old part of Brandon. The present day town of Brandon and the surrounding countryside is full of houses that are between one hundred and two hundred years old. The cellar holes and gravestones along Old Brandon are not much older. To leave Old Brandon, retrace your steps along the old cart track, looking for things you missed on your first pass. When you get to the cemetery turn down the hill and watch your step, it is steep. When you get back to the water again at the bottom of the hill, there will be one last climb and then you will see the parking area across the fields. We hope you enjoyed your tour. With the help of the Vermont Land Trust, Old Brandon was recently purchased from a private owner and local townspeople are working on increasing the trails, adding interpretive signs, furthering knowledge, and sponsoring archaeological studies. If you have any comments or questions, or would like to donate to the effort, please contact us at info@brandon.org Top |
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