This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(September 2016) |
West Hartford Village Historic District | |
Location | VT 14, Harper Savage Ln., Tigertown Rd., and Stetson Rd., Hartford, Vermont |
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Coordinates | 43°42′59″N72°24′58″W / 43.71639°N 72.41611°W |
Area | 47 acres (19 ha) |
Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 04001368 [1] |
Added to NRHP | December 15, 2004 |
West Hartford is an unincorporated community village in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is one of Hartford's five villages, situated on the White River and crossed by the Appalachian Trail.
West Hartford no longer has a post office, but still has a local library, and a town park. The White River, is a nearby fishing site. The village's center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the West Hartford Village Historic District.
West Hartford is located in far northern Hartford, seven river miles up the White River from its mouth at the Connecticut River. Its center is at geographical coordinates 43° 42′ 44" North, 72° 25′ 7" West (43.71212, -72.418541). The White River runs through the Village and along Clifford Park.
The village of West Hartford was settled during the late 18th century, primarily organized around mills and outlying agricultural areas. The oldest surviving house in the village was built in 1795 by Francis and Abigail (Hazen) Savage. Abigail was the granddaughter of the area's first colonial landowner. A turnpike, now Vermont Route 14, was built along the river in 1800. The focal center of the village was established at Harper Savage Lane by construction of its first bridge to span the White River in 1820, and then by the construction of a railroad station nearby. By 1830, the village had a church and post office, and the village continued to thrive during the 19th century, mainly due to its proximity to White River Junction, an important railroad hub in the region. Much of the village was destroyed by a major flood in 1867. This natural disaster destroyed much of the local industry, with the exception of retail which continued, driven by the presence of the railroad. [2]
In the spring of 1927, the Vermont rivers flooded, taking out several bridges including the West Hartford Bridge, then a covered bridge. Shortly after the flood, the bridges were all replaced with simple contemporary bridges that were tall, green, and steel trussed. In 2006, the West Hartford Bridge was replaced with a new single-span bridge named Veterans Bridge. The old bridge had a pool off of the downstream side where locals would jump off the bridge into the water. The new bridge is in a location where it is dangerous to jump because the deep pool is no longer accessible, although teens, children, and adults still jump off the bridge. At the foot of the new bridge, there is a small area in remembrance of Hartford Veterans.
Clifford Park is a town maintained park that includes nature trails, a softball field, horseshoe pits, and a picnic area on the river. Every summer, it is turned into a major landing area for the hot air balloons that have taken off at the Quechee Balloon Festival, and every Halloween it is the Haunted Area for local youths sponsored by the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department. The park is named Clifford, after the former owner of the land that now holds the park, and the land that is the Westfield Drive community.
On August 28, 2011, West Hartford was hit by Tropical Storm Irene. Several houses, the country store, the library, and the post office were affected. The post office was torn down, the store repaired, and the library has been rebuilt.
The bridge and road also suffered damage from this event. The bridge was out of commission for several weeks, forcing people to find alternative routes to get to work and into more populated areas. As for the road, Route 14, it was usable to a certain point. It was repaired slowly and in the village itself there were several large holes where the river gouged away the pavement, dirt, and gravel. In August 29, residents and volunteers were using their tractors and snowplows to clear Route 14 of mud and debris. The town's church was used as a place for gathering donated items and food to be collected for the victims of Storm Irene.
The storm left Clifford Park significantly damaged. It accumulated at least a foot of mud, and the playground, basketball half-court, tennis courts, and baseball field all had to be reconstructed. There are picnic tables underneath a shade structure, and benches stand here and there around the perimeter of the field, and the gravel parking lot is now outlined by a wooden fence.
Debris has been cleared and restoration is complete, but evidence of the storm's destruction can still be observed. Houses, roads, and riverbanks still bear the mark of Irene in erosion and weathering.
West Hartford elementary students attend Ottauquechee School in Quechee, VT (K-5) and attend middle and high school at Hartford Memorial Middle School (6-8) and Hartford High School (9-12). Large private schools in the area include: the Upper Valley Waldorf School in Quechee (K-8), Mid Vermont Christian School in Quechee (K-6) and the Middle School (7-8) and High School (9-12). [ citation needed ]
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest community within the town of Hartford.
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Brownsville is an unincorporated community in West Windsor, Vermont, United States. Located on Vermont Route 44, the village houses a number of administrative offices for the town of West Windsor.
The Brown Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in Shrewsbury, Vermont. Located in the northwestern part of the town, it carries Upper Cold River Road over the Cold River. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 2011 due to damage from Hurricane Irene and reopened on July 5, 2016. Built in 1880 by noted Vermont bridgewright Nichols M. Powers, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014, cited as one of the finest and least-altered examples of a Town lattice truss covered bridge in the United States.
The Bartonsville Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in the village of Bartonsville, in Rockingham, Vermont, United States. The bridge is a lattice truss style with a 151-foot span, carrying Lower Bartonsville Road over the Williams River. It was built in 2012, replacing a similar bridge built in 1870 by Sanford Granger. The 1870 bridge, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was destroyed in 2011 in flooding caused by Hurricane Irene.
The Ottauquechee River is a 41.4-mile-long (66.6 km) river in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound.
The Silk Covered Bridge is a covered bridge, carrying Silk Road across the Walloomsac River between downtown Bennington, Vermont and the village of North Bennington, United States. A Town lattice truss bridge, it was built in 1840, and is one of three covered bridges across the river in fairly close proximity. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
White River Junction Historic District is a historic district in the unincorporated village of White River Junction, within the town of Hartford, Vermont. It was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and its boundaries were increased in 2002 and 2019. It originally encompassed the central portion of the village's business district, and was then expanded to include a broader array of resources.
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The Joseph and Daniel Marsh House is a historic farmstead at 1119 Quechee Main Street, just outside the village Quechee in Hartford, Vermont. Built in 1793, it was the home of Joseph Marsh, one of Hartford's early settlers and the first Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Now the Quechee Inn, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Quechee Historic Mill District encompasses the historic heart of the village of Quechee, Vermont, a well-preserved 19th-century mill village. Extending along Quechee Main Street between the Old Quechee Road and the Quechee-West Hartford Road, the village was settled in the 1760s, and has an industrial history extending into the 20th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
The Stockbridge Four Corners Bridge is a steel girder bridge carrying Vermont Route 100 across the White River near the village of Stockbridge Four Corners in Stockbridge, Vermont. The bridge is a 2009 replacement for 1929 Pratt through truss bridge, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The historic bridge replaced an older covered bridge destroyed by Vermont's devastating 1927 floods.
The Jedediah Strong II House is a historic house at the junction of Quechee Main Street and Dewey's Mill Road in Hartford, Vermont. Built in 1815 by a local mill owner, it is a fine local example of a high-style Federal period brick house. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It now houses professional offices.
The West Hartford Bridge is a steel deck girder bridge carrying Town Highway 14 across the White River in the village of West Hartford, Vermont. It was built by the town with state assistance in 2006, replacing a Parker through truss bridge built by the state after Vermont's devastating 1927 floods. The 1929 bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The Woodstock Warren Through Truss Bridge was a historic iron bridge that carried Bridges Road across the Ottauquechee River in western Woodstock, Vermont. The bridge was built in 1925, and was a rare example of the state of a double-intersection Warren through truss. The bridge was swept away by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The Warren Village Historic District encompasses the village center of Warren, Vermont, United States. Stretched mainly along Main Street east of the Mad River, it is a well-preserved 19th-century mill village, although most of its period mill infrastructure has been lost. The district has good examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, and Second Empire architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The Chelsea Street Bridge is a bridge in South Royalton, Vermont, spanning over the White River. The original bridge was constructed in 1848, followed by several replacements. The current bridge was completed in 2002.