Grafton Village Historic District | |
Location | Main St., Vermont Route 121 E., Townshend Rd., Chester Hill Rd., Kidder Hill Rd., Pleasant St., School St., Middletown Rd., and Hinkley Brook Rd., Grafton, Vermont |
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Coordinates | 43°10′18″N72°36′24″W / 43.17167°N 72.60667°W |
Area | 287 acres (116 ha) |
Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 10000171 [1] |
Added to NRHP | April 7, 2010 |
The Grafton Village Historic District encompasses the historic village center of the town of Grafton, Vermont. The village was developed in the early-to-mid 19th century, and has retained the character of that period better than many small communities in the state. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. [1]
The area that is now Grafton was first chartered in 1754, but only began to see permanent settlement in the late 1770s, in the town's Middletown section. Grafton Village developed around the confluence of two branches of the Saxtons River, a tributary of the Connecticut River. The first house, a brick structure built about 1795 by Enos Lovell, still stands in the village, and was followed by mills and mill dams on the two rivers, of which only traces now survive. The network of major roads radiating from this area began to take shape then as well. Early development was focused in the area around Kidder Hill Road, while in the second quarter of the 19th century the village center gradually migrated northward, anchored by the construction of the Congregational Church in 1834 and the relocation of its post office in 1841 into what is now the town hall. Grafton's building and economic good times ended about 1870, with little new development taking place until the 20th century, when tourism provided a significant boost to the economy. This boost was accompanied by a strong preservationist drive, resulting in the maintenance of the village's 19th century character. [2]
The historic district encompasses essentially the entire developed area of Grafton village. Its rough southern and northeastern boundaries are the two branches of the Saxtons River, extending east of the north branch along Chester Road and Route 121 East, and extending a short way westward along Houghtonville, Middletown, and Hinckley Brook Roads. Many of the buildings in the village are Federal and Greek Revival in character, or are in 20th-century revival styles that are sympathetic. Most are wood frame structures between 1 and three stories in height, although there are a variety of brick buildings as well. A number of buildings have Italianate and later Victorian style. Very few of the historic buildings have been altered in unsympathetic ways, such as the application of synthetic siding or the installation of vinyl windows. The streetscape is also devoid of significant modern intrusions such as utility poles. [2]
Six properties in the district are individually listed on the National Register. The Kidder Covered Bridge is the town's only surviving covered bridge, and the Butterfield House (now the library) and the Milldean and Alexander-Davis House are two architecturally significant houses. The Grafton Congregational Church and Chapel, former Grafton Post Office, and Grafton District Schoolhouse No. 2, are all significant for their civic history as well as architecture. [2]
Saxtons River is an incorporated village in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 479 at the 2020 census. For over a hundred years, Saxtons River has been the home of Vermont Academy, an independent secondary school. Most of the village is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as Saxtons River Village Historic District.
The Northford Center Historic District encompasses the historic village area of Northford in northern North Branford, Connecticut. The basically linear district extends along Middletown Avenue from the village center at its southern end, to a point beyond its northern junction with Old Post Road. The area was settled in the early 18th century, and was transformed into a rural industrial village in the 19th century by the locally prominent Maltby and Fowler families. The district includes many fine pre-Civil-War houses, two churches, and a schoolhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
The Windham Village Historic District is one of two historic districts in Windham, Vermont, encompassing the dispersed rural village near the town's geographic center. The area was principally developed in the early decades of the 19th century, and has had only modest alterations since then. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The Haverhill Corner Historic District encompasses the early civic center of Haverhill, New Hampshire, United States. The district is focused on the junction of New Hampshire Route 10 and Court Street, which was historically a major through route. Court Street is flanked at the junction by a pair of large grassy common areas which are bounded by School Street and Route 10. Buildings, predominantly Federal in character and built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, are arrayed around these commons, and historic buildings line Route 10 and Court Street for a short distance away from the commons. Prominent buildings in the district include the 1827 Federal-style First Congregational Church, the 1840 former courthouse that now houses the public library and local historical society, and the Romanesque Revival 1897 Haverhill Academy Junior High School building. The area declined in importance after the railroad bypassed it, resulting in the gradual relocation of civic functions to the Woodsville area. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Lyme Common Historic District encompasses the original historic center of Lyme, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it includes sixty historic buildings surrounding the town common and along surrounding roads, and is a well-preserved example of a 19th-century village center. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Vermont Route 121 (VT 121) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs 21.439 miles (34.503 km) from VT 11 in Londonderry east to U.S. Route 5 in the incorporated village of Bellows Falls in the town of Rockingham. VT 121 follows the Saxtons River in northern Windham County. The highway has a pair of gravel sections in the towns of Windham and Grafton.
The Mechanicsville Historic District encompasses a cluster of residential properties that are all that remain of one of the early industrial areas of Grafton, Vermont. Located a short way east of Grafton Village on Vermont Route 121, it includes ten well-preserved 19th-century properties, some located on properties where early mills once stood. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
The Houghtonville Historic District encompasses a cluster of residential properties that are all that remain of one of the early industrial areas of Grafton, Vermont. Located west of Grafton Village on Houghtonville Road, it includes ten well-preserved 19th-century houses, some located on properties where early mills once stood. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
The Middletown Rural Historic District encompasses an area that was once the town center of Grafton, Vermont. Located northwest of Grafton Village along Middletown Road and adjacent roads, it includes nine well-preserved 19th-century properties, as well as the town's first cemetery and animal pound. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Park Farm is a historic farm property at 26 Woodchuck Hill Road in Grafton, Vermont. With a farmhouse dating to about 1820, and most of its outbuildings to the 19th century, the farm remains an excellent example of a typical 19th-century Vermont farmstead. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The Rockingham Village Historic District encompasses the traditional village center of the town of Rockingham, Vermont. Settled in the 18th century, the district, located mainly on Meeting House Road off Vermont Route 103, includes a variety of 18th and 19th-century houses, and has been little altered since a fire in 1908. It notably includes the 18th-century National Historic Landmark Rockingham Meeting House. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The South Londonderry Village Historic District encompasses a significant portion of the historic developed area of the village of South Londonderry, Vermont. The village has a well-preserved mid-19th century core, with most of its major development history taking place between about 1806 and 1860. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Westminster Terrace Historic District encompasses a locally architecturally distinctive residential area on Westminster Terrace in Bellows Falls and Westminster, Vermont. First developed between about 1880 and 1910, the neighborhood has high-quality late 19th-century homes, interspersed with later mid-20th century development. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
The Dorset Village Historic District encompasses a significant portion of the village center of Dorset, Vermont. Centered at the junction of Church Street, Kent Hill Road, and Vermont Route 30, the village was developed between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, and has a number of well-preserved unusual features, including sidewalks of marble from local quarries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and was enlarged to the west in 1997.
The Middletown Springs Historic District encompasses most of the village center of Middletown Springs, Vermont. Oriented around the crossroads junction of Vermont Routes 140 and 133, the village has a well-preserved collection of mainly mid-19th century architecture, including a significant number of Italianate buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The Bethel Village Historic District encompasses the historic core of the village of Bethel in the town of Bethel, Vermont, USA. The L-shaped district extends along Main and Church Streets, including many of the village's commercial and civic buildings, as well as a significant number of 19th and early 20th-century residences. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was slightly enlarged in 1990.
The Chelsea Village Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Chelsea, Vermont, the shire town of Orange County. Developed in the first half of the 19th century as a regional service and transportation hub, the village exhibits a significant number of Greek Revival buildings, augmented with primarily later civic and commercial buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Charlotte Center Historic District encompasses the historic 19th-century town center of Charlotte, Vermont. Settled c. 1790 and developed mainly in the mid-19th century, the village, stretched along Church Hill Road west of Hinesburg Road, retains a well-preserved 19th-century atmosphere of residential, civic, and commercial buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The Jericho Village Historic District encompasses the historic industrial and commercial center of the village of Jericho, Vermont. Stretched along Vermont Route 15 south of Browns River, which powered the village's industries for many years, the village center includes a well-preserved array of 19th and early 20th-century buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The Rupert Village Historic District encompasses the 19th-century village center of Rupert, Vermont. Extending along Vermont Route 153 and adjacent roads, the village preserves a 19th-century landscape and a variety of structures important in the life and economy of the period. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.