Historical Overview: Montpelier Visitor Center - 134 State Street
EARLIEST DAYS Going all the way back to the time before Europeans arrived on the continent, there isn’t much evidence to help us know who lived in this area prior to the late 1700s, but to tell the truth, there haven’t been many concerted archeological efforts to find them. There have been a few discoveries of artifacts, though, that suggest Native Americans – particularly the Abenaki tribe - were here at one time, but our first documentation of Montpelier comes when it was formally chartered in 1781, during the period when Vermont had declared itself an independent republic.FOUNDING FATHER A Revolutionary War veteran named Colonel Jacob Davis gets the credit as the city’s founder. He came here from Massachusetts with his wife Rebecca and their sons, and for the first several years Jacob was a regular Paul Bunyan. He cleared land at the rate of an acre a day, according to historical eyewitnesses.HOW WE GOT OUR NAME Jacob Davis built the first streets in the town that came to be known as Montpelier. It was named after a city of the same name in France, probably because of the general good feeling toward France as an American ally during the war.HOW WE BECAME THE STATE CAPITAL Through the end of the 18th century, the Legislature convened in spots all over the state because there was no fixed capital for Vermont, but in 1805 the government was officially transferred here because of its central location. It’s been the capital ever since, but for a while, we had a hard time hanging on to the title. There was often some sneaky movement afoot to move everything off to Burlington, but Montpe‐ lier kept a firm grip and won out in the end.MONTPELIER TODAY The city today has a population that moves between 8,000-9,000 people. We are the smallest capital city in the country, and that superlative gives me the excuse to note that we are also the only one without a McDonald’s.Keep that in mind if it ever comes up as a Jeopardy question. We like to brag about it, so it isn’t likely to change.In fairness, though, we have only to go a few miles south for our Big Mac fix. And although we have only about 8,000 residents, the population swells daily to as many as 21,000, factoring in all the private and state employees who come here to work, and those who have business to conduct with any of them.To give you some general perspective on what you’ll be seeing during these tours, the city has the largest historic district in the state. Its listing in the National Register of Historic Places has been expanded twice, and now encompasses 533 historic structures.WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD If you haven’t done so already, head back to the sidewalk in front of the Visitors Center. Here, we’re on the northwestern edge of what’s known as the “Capitol Complex”. Most of the houses you’ll see in the next few blocks are state-owned and have various agencies in them, but many date back to the 1800s when this was a fashionable residential neighborhood.
Birthplace of US Senator Patrick Leahy
The house adjacent to the Visitor Center’s garden is the birthplace and childhood home of US Senator Patrick Leahy. During legislative sessions, his parents Alba and Howard rented rooms to lawmakers and also ran a printing press in the back of the house. It now houses the Vermont Council on the Arts, and through the side entrance, you can access the small Spotlight Gallery featuring Vermont artists. Admission is free.
A Painted Lady - 132 State Street
If you were on a mission to visit the State Auditor of Accounts, you probably wouldn’t expect to find such a serious-sounding official in this whimsical, dollhouse setting, right?Such is the charm of small capitals and small government. Notice the steep roof, the covered porches, and all the towers and spindles and froufrou. These are all clues that this house was constructed in a style known as Queen Anne Revival, which was very popular in the country during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The paint job gives it the added distinction of being what’s known as a “Painted Lady”, a term commonly applied to colorfully repainted Victorian style houses.Off the Beaten Path: If you’d like to see more of this style, you’ll find them in some of the residential streets surrounding the downtown area, particularly around Liberty and Loomis Streets. These neighborhoods are quiet, leafy, and picturesque. In them, you’ll find a diverse display of architecture, including a few Painted Ladies demurely screening themselves behind flowering trees and foliage.
A Most Beautiful Tax Building
There’s been a lot of activity and a few address changes on this parcel of land over the years. It had two houses on it in the late 1800s which were owned by brothers Charles and George W. Reed. Charles was the State Librarian for many years, and his brother George was the Secretary for the National Life Insurance Company. The Prudential may have grabbed the logo first, but National Life has been Montpelier’s very own Rock of Gibraltar for over 150 years. It’s history is described in the point of interest labeled "The Country Doctor and the Hometown Hero."WE’LL STAY HERE FOREVER - OR MAYBE NOT The company acquired the properties on this plot and financed the construction of the building you see here now. It served as the 6th home office National Life had moved into since it was founded. The other five were scattered along the street here and we’ll see a lot of them before we’re done. They moved into this building in 1920. As you face it, you might think the design looks a little off balance, and you would not be wrong. If you peek around the left side of the building, you’ll see most of that exterior wall is done in a dull yellow brick with no granite facing. It was left this way because the original plan was to put another wing on the left that matched the right when the time came to expand again. This would result in a much larger building with the main entrance serving as a central portico. But it never happened.Instead of expanding in place, National Life left this building in 1960 for its current headquarters on a hilltop above the city. The State eventually bought the vacated building to house the Tax Department, and surely there’s a joke in there somewhere about life and death and taxes.During business hours the Tax building is open to the public, and the ornate, vaulted ceiling of the lobby just inside the door is worth a quick look.A VERMONT “CHARACTER” In the entrance vestibule, you’ll also see a bronze relief of Daniel Leavens Cady, a certifiable Vermont “character”. Born in Windsor in 1861, he became a New York City lawyer who retired to Vermont to write poetry. I’m not sure why he came to be memorialized in this way, but as you can see from the bronze likeness he was said to never be without his top hat, and stories have it that he was also something of a humorist who liked a drink or two now and then.
Montpelier's Sliding Buildings - 128 State Street
This Queen Anne Revival building is the office of the Secretary of State. It was originally owned by Edward Dewey, a member of a very important family in the development of Montpelier through the 19th century. As you can see from the photo, this big, complicated structure is an example of one of the many buildings that were moved from their original locations. This one was originally on the site of the current State Office Building at 120 State Street.
American Legion Headquarters - 126 State Street
This house, another Painted Lady, is where the American Legion has its state headquarters office. Don’t look for a bar in there because there isn’t one, but if you’re a member, the Post #3 lodge is farther downtown on Main Street.
A Country Doctor and a Hometown Hero - 120 State Street
This building is simply called the State Office Building. More informally, it’s called the DMV – the Department of Motor Vehicles.OUR DMV IS ART DECO BABY! The brick house at 128 State Street that currently houses Vermont's Secretary of State originally sat on this piece of land. Once it was moved, along with a few other houses, this Art Deco behemoth of concrete and steel started going up and was completed in 1949. It’s faced on all sides with Vermont marble. If you look up near the roofline, you can see an engraved frieze surrounding the building that includes the name of each of the state’s 14 counties. The figure carved in relief on the steel front door is Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility. She is holding the Vermont state seal in one hand, and beneath her is the iconic image of a man attaching a sap bucket to his maple tree. I know the building looks sort of like a giant mausoleum, but never mind that! If you walk through the big steel door, inside you’ll see a plaque on the wall to the right marking it as the spot – THE VERY SPOT!! – where George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy and Victor of Manila Bay, was born. To listen to the story of the Deweys, and of one of the most remarkable events ever held in Montpelier, have a seat on the wall and click the audio button above. The audio is about 6 minutes in length.
The Great Flood of 1927 - State House Promenade
If you’re walking along the State House promenade any time between May and October, you’ll probably marvel at the beautifully maintained gardens and lawn. This is essentially Montpelier’s Central Park and it gets a lot of use throughout the year. Naturally, it’s a gathering spot for protests, but it’s just as often a place of celebration and leisure. There’s many an ultimate Frisbee match played on the lawns in the summer, and sometimes cricket, and in recent years we’ve added a skating rink in the winter.THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1927 As you’re walking up the promenade, you’ll see a plaque on the right-hand granite post that marks the high-water mark for the massive flood in November 1927 that decimated all of the downtown area. More than 8 inches of rain fell over a period of 48 hours, and at its peak, the water rose to a height of 12 feet at the intersection of State and Main Streets. When the water receded only one road of a dozen out of town was passable, and only 7 of the city’s 24 bridges were undamaged. Almost every building in the downtown area was either destroyed or heavily damaged. Sitting at the confluence of two rivers – the Winooski and the North Branch, the city itself is a flood plain, so it’s seen plenty of high water over the years since, but all of them are measured against the Flood of ‘27, and the devastation of that one has thankfully never been equaled.You might want to walk a bit further up the promenade for a closer view at the statue described in the next stop.
Ceres the Beloved - State House Promenade
The statue atop the golden dome is not a historical figure, it’s a goddess. She's Ceres, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, and we’ve had three versions of her atop the dome over the years. The original was carved from Vermont pine and installed as part of the 1858 construction, but unfortunately, the goddess rotted away and fell into pieces when it was removed in 1938. The Sergeant at Arms at the time was a man named Dwight Dwinell, and although he wasn’t a trained sculptor he agreed to have a go at carving a replacement from Ponderosa pine, which was supposed to be harder than the Vermont version. The result was a lovely piece of folk art rather than a more classically polished piece, but we loved it, and at such a height it was hard to pick out the flaws anyway. It turned out Ponderosa Pine isn’t much hardier than the Vermont variety. It lasted until the spring of 2018, when once again the weather-soaked goddess was delicately lifted from the dome, in one piece this time.The latest version of Ceres has been carved from Honduran mahogany for maximum durability. While the artist, Chris Miller, was working on the project, the dome also underwent major renovations and re-gilding. It would be hard to overstate how beloved Ceres is in the local psyche. When she returned in November 2018 there were over a thousand people here to celebrate as a giant crane floated her into place. A delightful fun story: As a tribute to our popular and very dedicated State House Curator David Schutz, the artist is said to have carved a small likeness of his face on the back of the statue, amongst the sheaves of wheat. Complete with his trademark bow tie.
State House Construction - Third Time's the Charm
When you reach the third level on your way up the steps, you might want to detour off to the right or left for a look at the cannons. They are relics of the Spanish American War, taken from one of the ships that hometown hero Admiral George Dewey helped send to the bottom of Manila Bay. Kids love to climb on them and it is fine to let them do so.As it is set on a hill, the State House escaped damage during the 1927 flood. The current building is the third on this site. The first was a very humble wooden building put up in the time of Jacob Davis after Montpelier became the capital. The legend is that the rough and tumble farming legislators who came to town for the winter literally whittled it into a ruin.A second one was built between 1833-38 and looked more like the one you see today, although it had a lower, saucer-style copper dome that looked a bit like the Jefferson memorial in Washington.It was constructed from granite brought from a quarry in Barre about twelve miles away. The loads were transported on wagons, each drawn by four horses and a yoke of oxen. That version didn’t last very long, either. In January 1857, after the boilers in the basement had been running at full steam over several days of frigid weather, some beams above the boiler overheated and started a fire that destroyed the building. All that remained were the portico and Doric columns and a few of the surrounding granite walls.The third and present structure incorporated the portico, and the discoloration you see in the columns is a result of that 1857 fire. The new wooden dome was done more in the style of the nation’s capital and was originally painted a dark red. It wasn’t gilded until the early 20th century.
The Battle of Bennington - You Owe Us One! - State House Portico
On the portico itself, to one side there is a statue depicting Ethan Allen, one of Vermont’s founding fathers and a Revolutionary War hero who led his Green Mountain Boys in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. On the other side is a cannon captured by General John Stark at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.Bennington Battle Day on August 16 is an official holiday unique to Vermont when all state offices are closed. The Vermont militia delivered such a blow to the British army at that battle that it was a major factor leading to General Burgoyne’s eventual surrender at Saratoga, which prompted France to enter the war as an American ally, which definitively turned the tide, and the rest is history.So, you’re welcome. We’ll take the day off for that, thank you very much.We will leave you here at the door to explore the interior of the State House on your own. This is a visit not to be missed. It is a piece of living history – a beautiful, lovingly preserved gem that looks very close to how it did when it was built. There’s no admission charge. There are self-guided tours you can operate with your smartphone, or you can get a printed version, and at times volunteers are available for guided tours.Off the Beaten Path: If you’re visiting during the winter, there’s a tradition called Farmer’s Night, dating back to when the legislators were often farmers who came to town for the week. The Legislature is still only officially scheduled to be in session from January to April, a holdover from the time when the farmers had to get back home for the spring planting. Each Wednesday evening during that period, there is a concert or some other form of entertainment staged in the House of Representatives with the audience sitting in the legislators’ chairs. It is free to lawmakers and the public alike, and it keeps the representatives from whittling at the walls of our capitol building.
Vermont Supreme Court and Art Gallery
This is Vermont’s Supreme Court building. It was completed in 1918. Before that, the court officially met in the State House, but it got so crowded that the justices were often chivvied over to a room in the Pavilion Hotel for their deliberations. In the lobby of the Supreme Court building there is a changing art exhibit that is free and open to the public.
Who Lived Here?! Welll...- 116 State Street
Here at the Department of Agriculture, we are close to the eastern edge of the Capitol Complex and in front of one of the most unusual-looking buildings on the street. It’s done in a style called Richardsonian Romanesque, the most famous example of which is Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston. It’s maybe a bit disappointing to hear it wasn’t once the fabulous mansion of a Montpelier millionaire. It was built to be one of the headquarters buildings that National Life moved into and grew out of. This one was particularly special though because its original interior was a marvelous mixture of mahogany, Egyptian mosaic tiles, and marble. It also featured one of Vermont’s first elevators. It was kept in use until 1981, much to the terror of any state worker who had to use it. Some of all that good stuff is still visible, although it’s been chopped up quite a bit to fit more offices.
The Tragic Demise Of Our Train Station
Through this space between 116 State Street and the bank building, you are looking toward the railroad tracks and the spot where once stood a majestic train station with a clock tower. It was built in 1880 and brought down with the help of dynamite in 1963. One Vermont historian categorized its destruction as nothing short of an act of vandalism. There is a heartbreaking photo of the explosion, with the beautiful clocktower looking like a laser-guided missile had just slammed into it. It’s a blunt force signal that the genteel age of trundling old buildings to new locations had finished and an age of demolition had begun.
The Keeley Cure - 110 State Street
Before it moved two doors down, National Life also lived here for a while as a tenant of the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company, which owned the building. But it is more interesting as the one-time home for the Montpelier branch of a substance abuse treatment franchise called the Keeley Institute. It rented space in the building from 1892-95. This was a time when opium was sold over the counter, making opiate addiction and alcoholism as endemic in the late 19th century as it is today. Founded in Illinois, the Keeley Institute was one of the first to address the scourge as a disease rather than a moral issue and was known to create a supportive and caring environment for its patients.Its treatment regimen may have been questionable, though. It required the administration of injections its founder called “bichloride of gold”, but he refused to ever disclose what the actual ingredients were. Patients were also supplied with as much whiskey as they cared to drink until voluntarily giving it up. Business took off like a rocket as Montpelier’s citizens embraced the treatment with enthusiasm. There was very little privacy involved, either. Newspapers around the state sprinkled in announcements of treatments much as they did the births and vacation plans of their citizens, and many treatment graduates went public to testify to their success in conquering their addiction.Eventually, the Institute came under attack from competing recovery centers, and the Montpelier franchise in particular was beset with rumors of embezzlement. It closed in 1895, but by then over 500 patients were said to have taken the “Keeley Cure” during its short lifespan in the building. For a while, it was a trendy destination for the wealthy. While taking their treatments, they could enjoy the amenities of the capital city while comfortably installed in the state’s finest grand hotel right across the street.
A Hotel for Presidents and Film Stars - 109 State Street
Here at the edge of the hurly burly of Montpelier’s commercial life, we come to a building that perfectly captures the balance between the city as seat of government and a bustling area of private commerce. During its heyday, the Pavilion Hotel sheltered not only private visitors from all over the world but also many of the part-time state representatives who came to town for Legislative sessions. After the House and Senate, the Pavilion was sometimes referred to as “Vermont’s Third House”.You might like to have a seat in one of the porch's rocking chairs while listening to the story of this "grand old lady". Click the audio button for the 4-minute clip.
On the Edge Between Public and Private Life
If you are beginning the tour from this point and would like a historical overview before you get started, click on the point of interest located at the other end of the street on the map that is titled "Historical Overview: Montpelier Visitor's Center". If you are standing in front of the Pavilion Building, that point will be labeled "17".If you followed this tour from the Visitor's Center you have reached the final stop. If you are ready for more, head across the street to the Capitol Plaza Hotel for the closest point of interest on the next tour, which is called "Following the Old Trolley Route"
