The Chittenden Historical Society. Chittenden, Vermont.
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SPRING MEETINGS

March

As the first meeting of the year, March is the organizational meeting for deciding programs, hikes, trips for the year. The most popular selections win and we try to schedule them.

April

Tom Conway gave an interesting and lively talk about the life and times of the Rollins family, who lived in the Steam Mill Brook area of North Chittenden in the last half of the 1800s and beyond. He shared pictures of his family, and tales of Dan Rollins were shared.

May

Dave Lacy, archeologist for the U.S. Forest Service presented “Seeing is Believing: Hidden History in the Green Mountain Forest,” with beautiful slides of historical traces of human activity within the forest and efforts of the Forest Service to identify, preserve and research the sites. Some slides of historical photos of the sites as they originally looked were contrasted with the present state helped explain the sites we were seeing.

June

The June meeting was cancelled. It was a victim of the many other things that were going on that evening.

MEMORIAL DAY

Again we were blessed with beautiful weather this year. Otis Munroe brought his bagpipes to lead the parade to the flagpole. Sgt. Edward Gee of the Vermont National Guard

Memorial Day
Eddie Gee & Skip Smith
raise the flag on Memorial Day
with Skip Smith presented the flag ceremony. Gene Sargent was the featured speaker. After the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of “The Star Spangled Banner,” Bob and Teenie Bearor generously again provided attendees with hotdogs and sausages at no charge. A variety of salads and cookies were similarly provided by the Historical Society downstairs in the finished lower level of the Grange Hall.

MUZZY DAVENPORT AWARD

The CHS, Inc., happily announces that Dermot Hughes, son of Pamela and Dermot Hughes of North Chittenden, was chosen for the Muzzy Davenport Award, given for outstanding work in history and interest in local history at Barstow. We look forward to seeing Dermot and his project at our meeting on July 8.

SUMMER MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

This summer we are initiating a drive to increase membership. Chittenden has a rich history that should be developed and shared.

Here we live in Chittenden, Vermont, a cradle of freedom and citizenship. Do you know that with a population just now approaching 1200, there are as many as 19 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Chittenden? Vermonters spread across the nation bring the values they learned in Vermont.

Vermont is a great place to live because our forebearors made it so. The Chittenden Historical Society strives for cultural preservation of that heritage. Many aspects of our historical heritage are alive and relevant today. In a time of instant everything, the Society can provide an historical context for current activities and ideas and can fill a want and need for a sense of place.

Our mission is to preserve, and share through education, town history. In programming, we try to include something for everyone:

We sponsor educational field trips and hikes to explore the town’s early history

We endeavor to bring programs of interest to our town on meeting nights.

We collect and preserve photos, artifacts, oral histories, genealogies, historical accounts of town places and events.

Our activities include sponsoring a Memorial Day event to recognize the sacrifices of our troops, preservation and restoration of Grange Hall, the Muzzy Davenport Award for interest in local history, and displays of historical interest at Town events

To be a member, you do not have to be an officer, just follow your interests.DayWe are a 501(c)3 corporation; all donations and memberships are tax deductible.

Your support helps preserve and share town history. Come to the Ice Cream Social July 8, see calander.

The Chittenden Historical Society meets on the second Thursday of the month, March through November at 7:30 pm in Town Hall on Holden Road. Visitors and new members are welcome!

SPRING HIKE

This May the Society continued the walk along the Green Road that was begun last Spring.

Spring Hike
Bob Muzzy holds hand-made
chimney brick from cellar hole
in New Boston
Again, we were amazed by the size of the buildings that once rose above these cellar holes. Ground evidence still reveals the substantial farms that were in New Boston.

Phase III Completed!
of Grange Hall Restoration

For those who haven’t stopped by...

Kitchen and Lift
…a view of the kitchen and lift

Tables and Chairs
…tables ready to be set

New Kitchen
…and the new kitchen

The lower level of the Grange Hall has been completed. It will be open for community use within the next few weeks. See photos at right. We thank the Select board, Preservation Trust, The Vermont Cultural Coalition, The Windham Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation and Chittenden residents for their help in renovation.

Society Publishes Town History

The Chittenden Historical Society announces the publishing of a book, Chittenden, Vermont: A Town History.

the book Chittenden, Vermont: A Town History Book
click to view cover
Written, compiled and edited by Fran Wheeler and Karen Webster, the new volume holds over 300 pages of town history from its beginning in 1780 and gives the early history, and the businesses, industry, military, school and church history that filled two and a quarter centuries. Genealogy of the earliest settlers is included.

The first printing is 300 books, priced at $30 each plus shipping for out-of-town orders. As of July 24, 2009, there are only a few books left. Place your order now while they last. Please call for availability. All profits will go to the Chittenden Historical Society.

To order a book, download the order form and mail with your check to the address on the form.

(2008) Memorial Day at the Grange Hall

The Chittenden Historical Society will host a Memorial Day Observance at the Grange Hall on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26 at 11 am. The Royal S. Baird memorial stone will also be dedicated on Memorial Day. Royal Baird, the uncle of Bob Baird, was shot down over Guam in World War II. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Pittsford, but Royal’s parents arranged for a memorial stone and flagpole to be placed near his home in North Chittenden at the junction of Stoney Hill Road with West Road. With increases in modern travel, the placement of the memorial created problems with traffic and with snow removal. It has been moved several times before finding its new home.

Thanks, Chittenden

The members of the Historic Buildings Preservation Committee wish to thank the residents of Chittenden for voting to continue funding for completion of the renovation and restoration of the North Chittenden Grange Hall. Everyone on the committee is looking forward to returning the building to daily use. Please come to the Grange Hall on Memorial Day to see the Grange Hall and enjoy a thank you lunch.

Boarded Up Windows
Boarded over east windows
with lowered ceiling joists
remaining in place.

New Windows

The new windows, restored to the height of the original ones, are 50 percent taller that the old windows. All nine have now been installed, including the east windows that were boarded over before 1900. No one alive today has seen the light effect all nine windows have on the interior space of the Grange Hall.
Old Windows
Ceiling joists removed
to reveal once taller windows.
The appearance of the building’s exterior is much improved, but the inside, with a lot of work yet to be done, has been transformed into a delightful light-filled area. With the return of warmer weather, restoration of the exterior envelope is now in progress. Soon the building will look much better from the outside. Before, during and after pictures of the windows are shown here.
New Windows
The same corner
with new windows installed!
The Freeman Foundation, through Preservation Trust of Vermont, is helping fund restoration of the Grange Hall.

North Chittenden Grange Hall Receives Grant
Dave Sargent accepts grant check.

January 11, 2008

Dave Sargent, Chairman of the Chittenden Board of Selectmen, receives an award of $15,000 from Governor Douglas at the 2008 Cultural Facilities Grant awards ceremony held on January 11 at the State House in Montpelier. Also shown are Alexander Aldrich of the Vermont Arts Council and Karen Webster, chair of Chittenden’s Historic Buildings Preservation Committee. The award to Chittenden is to support the installation of electrical wiring, security and emergency lighting and for the purchase and installation of an accessibility lift in the North Chittenden Grange Hall.

More than $200,000 was awarded for the Cultural Facilities Grant program. The State of Vermont funds the program through an annual appropriation in the Capital Budget. The Vermont Arts Council administers the grant, in conjunction with the Vermont Historical Society, the Vermont Museum Gallery Alliance, and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, all working together as the Vermont Cultural Facilities Coalition. Now in its 19th year, the purpose of this grant program is to assist Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities to enhance, create or expand the capacity of existing Vermont buildings to enable citizens of all ages and abilities to enjoy more cultural events while increasing their participation in the heritage of their communities. Freeman Foundation and the Cerf Community Fund grants, both through Preservation Trust of Vermont, are also supporting this project.

North Chittenden Grange Hall

Ballot Item

At Town Meeting, voters will be asked to renew for ten years the $20,000 per year appropriation for historic building restoration that has been in effect since 2000. Therefore, a positive vote will not increase taxes. When restoration is finished, the Grange Hall will become a cultural and recreational center for the town, available for art, music and dance programs and lessons, speakers and even dinner and theater. As indicated by Alex Aldrich at the awards ceremony, development of the arts brings vitality to a community. Also, opportunities will exist for exercise classes, family movie nights and private rentals for weddings or other social events. All money is handled through the Town Treasurer. Additionally, other funds are being sought through other grant opportunities and a capital campaign. Donations are indeed welcome in time, materials or money, payable to the Town of Chittenden, Historic Buildings Preservation Fund, P.O. Box 89, Chittenden, VT 05737.

For those who aren't familiar with the Grange Hall, it is the building opposite the beginning of Middle Road. Constructed in 1833 to be a Congregational Church, it became a Grange Hall by the early 1880s and was purchased by the Town of Chittenden in 1906 for use as a Town Hall. Many residents fondly remember social gatherings there. Sadly, the building fell into disrepair and it was closed to the public in the 1960s.

The building is amazingly sound despite its age. From a historical aspect, the building is quite interesting with its wide-board wainscoting, period moldings, balcony and high windows. Notwithstanding earlier renovations, many original features remain.

Building Plans

An effort to restore the building for community use began in 1995. As the project gathered momentum, more people became involved. Members of the Chittenden Historical Society joined the effort, and a Historic Buildings Preservation Committee was formed under the Board of Selectmen in 2000. The town voted to raise $20,000 a year for preservation of the town’s historic buildings. Soon the committee realized that to become a vital community resource, the Grange Hall project needed to expand to use of the lower level and to include bathroom facilities and lift for accessibility. As the funds grew in the Historic Buildings Preservation Committee fund, many hours were spent in planning and getting permits. Additional land, generously donated by the Fredettes, was needed to accommodate the septic field. Then the design was changed from a pumped system to a simpler gravity flow one. All this took time. In 2006, Phase I to install the septic field, drill the well and move the road to its original place was completed.

Phase II, now in progress and awarded by bid to local builder Dave Dutton, www.ddbuilder.com, is addressing structural issues: leveling the sagging floor and adding an engineered steel beam system of support, replacing the rotted corner beam, constructing the addition to house the bathrooms and lift, replacing the windows to their original tall height, blocking in lower level wooden exterior and adjusting the exterior grade, and adding a stairway between floors. The outside shell will be finished, restored, repaired or replaced. Painting will take place this spring.

Phase III, to begin in 2008, will involve interior renovation and construction, such as adding electricity and the accessibility lift. A small catering kitchen is planned for the lower level. With the development of both levels, the space available for activities will double. Although much work needs to be done before the Grange Hall will be ready for use, the committee is looking forward to the building’s active use by the community for cultural, social and recreational purposes.

For more information, contact a member of the HBPC: Terry White, Bernie McGee, Dave Sargent, Bob Muzzy or Karen Webster.