Barre Vermont

committee of concerned citizens of the Barre Historical Society has formed to restore, conserve, and provide housing for the Barre Stagecoach. Records at the New Hampshire Historical Society indicate that this is coach #472, built by the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire in 1859. ... [Read More]

CLARK'S BRIDGE - New Hampshire Covered Bridges
Historical Remarks: Clark's Bridge was originally built in Barre, Vermont as a part of the BarreRailroad, a short line railroad which ran between Montpelier and Barre,Vermont. The bridge was built to span the Winooski River. In 1960 both therailroad line and the covered bridge were abandoned. Ed Clark and his brotherMurray dismantled the bridge in East Montpelier and brought it piece by pieceto its present site. The abutments at the site were constructed using graniteblocks from an abandoned Maine Central Railroad bridge that crossed theConnecticut River in Coos County, New Hampshire. The bridge was reassembledon dry land next to the Pemigewasset River. Falsework was created by settingrailroad tracks in the river bed, placing two flatcars on the tracks and buildinga crib on these cars up to the bridge level. The bridge was then pulled acrossthe river using a half-track trailer. It was positioned over the river in 1965 andis still used as a part of Clark's Short Steam Railroad. It ap ... [Read More]

Vermont State House
Today the State House is the focus of the Montpelier Historic District . The current state house was preceded by several others at the site. The most significant was that designed by Montpelier resident, Ammi B. Young, and built from 1833-38. Young was the Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury Building , and one of 19th century America's leading architects. Young designed a two story building with cruciform plan, low saucer dome, and portico, using locally quarried Barre granite for much of the building's exterior. In January of 1857, most of the building was destroyed by fire, including the timber interior and dome. Young's Doric portico survived as did some of the granite walls. These elements were incorporated into the current Vermont State House, which followed the plans of architect Thomas Silloway. Silloway's design called for the enlargement of the previous building by one bay at either end of the facade. His more elaborate high dome is sheathed with copper and covered ... [Read More]

US Dept of State
Montpelier, Vt. – Ruth Stokes of Williston has been appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor James Douglas, the Board announced at its February 15 meeting. Stokes will begin her six-year term on March 1, 2005. Her first meeting will be held March 15 in Barre at Spaulding High School. ...

Barre, VT – November 3, 2003 – The March of Dimes Vermont Chapter, today announced that Governor and Mrs. Douglas are scheduled to visit and tour the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Fletcher Allen Health Care, on Wednesday, November 5, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. to promote the first annual Prematurity Awareness Day. Read More ... [Read More]

Barre Downtown Historic District
The commercial and public buildings that form the Barre Downtown Historic District reflect the city's rapid transformation in the 1880s from a rural farming community to an urban, industrialized environment. The area was rich in granite, and quarries were established by the early 19th century. Granite for an early Vermont State House was provided from Barre quarries, transported by teams of horses and oxen. Until the railroad arrived, the community remained small and isolated, and the downtown area was comprised of a collection of widely spaced houses and a few businesses. The first line opened in 1875, in the center of Barre, and a second quarry line was connected in 1888. With this new ability to import and export goods, the granite industry soared, and by 1902 the city had 68 granite quarries. Consequently, Barre and its residents experienced a great period of prosperity and growth, reflected in the buildings erected during that time. ... [Read More]

NARA | NHPRC and Other Grants | Annotation
Interior of the Barre Opera House, ca. 1900. Photograph from the Barre Opera House Collection, courtesy of the Aldrich Public Library. The Barre Opera House currently occupies the second and third stories of Barre City Hall, which was constructed in 1899 after a fire destroyed the original 1886 structure. The Barre Opera House opened in 1886 with an active schedule of theater, musical programs, and lectures sponsored by the Barre Entertainment Association. The theater was closed in 1944, but, through community effort, the Barre Opera House was able to ... [Read More]

Lang v. Town of Barre
  STATE OF VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY   Michael G. Lang                                  )            Opinion No. 01S-05WC                                                             )                                                  & ... [Read More]

Vermont Regional History
Spaulding School and Robert Burns Memorial Statue, carved by Italian immigrant Elia Corti, in Barre. Statue erected by Barre's Scotish immigrants to memorialize Scotish poet Burns. ...

The historic sites of Washington County tell specific stories of Vermont history. Geographically, Washington County is located in the center of the State, home to the Capital City of Montpelier , the more industrial community of Barre , and many small towns and villages dispersed along the valleys of the Green Mountains. This region has moderate average temperatures, summer highs reach the mid 80's, autumn and spring months have highs in the mid 50s, and lows in the 20s and 30s. Washington County receives 40 inches of rain annually and has the heaviest snow fall of the State, averaging ten feet every year. This amount of precipitation has always been a challenge for Vermonters. Although it has the shortest growing season in Vermont, less than four months, Washington County was historically an agriculturally based economy, augemented by numerous small industries throughout the counties villages. Many of the sites on our tour reflect this aspect of the area's history, as well as the c ... [Read More]

Barre City Hall and Opera House
Completed in 1899, the Barre City Hall and Opera House contains one of the best preserved late 19th century small theater interiors in northern New England. Facing the town common, the building is one of Barre's most important landmarks. The imposing Neoclassical building was designed by George G. Adams, a well-known Massachusetts architect who was responsible for many public buildings throughout New England. The building represents an era when citizens had great public pride in their civic buildings, as well as the economic prosperity and growth Barre experienced at the end of the 19th century. ... [Read More]

Socialist Labor Party Hall
The direct association of this property with the labor movement, community, and the immigration of Italians makes it one of Barre's most important buildings. The Hall provided the community with a place to meet, organize, and socialize. Dances, boxing and wrestling matches were held here. In 1901, the Co-Operative store was started in the basement to provide necessities for the community. When the Hall opened in 1900, more than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of 15 local unions, many of them probably attended union meetings and political rallies held here. From 1900 to 1936 the building held the offices and meetings of the Granite Cutters International Association, at the time the largest local union of granite workers in the country. Labors leaders such as Eugene Debs and Samuel Gompers are known to have visited Barre and, although unconfirmed, likely spoke at the Hall. During textile strikes taking place in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the Italian community in Barre shelte ... [Read More]