Grafton Favorite Tips by Geoff_Wright

Grafton's Main Street

Favorite thing: This photo doesn't give justice to Grafton. It was getting late in the afternoon, so the shadows were lengthening, and obscuring some of the detail of buildings.

On the right is the Historical Museum, and above that, the Town Hall. On the left, you can see the road junction, Townshend Road, on the corner of which is the Old Tavern.

A little farther up Main Street, just past the White Church, you will find the road out to Kidder Hill Covered Bridge. "(Only one of a handful of covered bridges in the area to survive since 1869, it was reconstructed when laminated beams were added to the interior in 1994)"

There are a number of covered bridges in Vermont and New Hampshire. We saw four of them, but wished we had had time to see them all, as they are all very different!

The Town Hall

Favorite thing: This imposing building is Grafton's Town hall. It is also the Town's Post Office, and Mary has just posted our final batch of Post Cards to VTers and family, before our return to England.

At one time Grafton had four general stores. Captain John Barrett, a former member of the New Hampshire militia, was the first man to establish a store here, in this building, in 1816.

Fondest memory: "Also housed in this impressive old 1816 building is a museum of natural history. This was the location of Captain John Barrett's first village store. In the 1820s, John Barrett's store dominated local trade. It listed 862 customers, most of who were buying for large families. The Captain's widow sold the building to the town in 1857, and it was shared at the time among civic offices, a library, and the federal post office."

The Old Tavern

Favorite thing: Grafton is home to one of New England's true treasures: The Old Tavern at Grafton. If ever there was a place to live the poet's words, this is it. The Old Tavern has a heritage that goes back as far as twelve years after America's independence.

(Courtesy of the 'Windam Foundation')

The Old Tavern

Fondest memory: "In 1788 Samuel Spring was voted a license to sell liquor on this site. Enos Lovell owned the property in 1801 and decided to convert his two-story home into an inn. Both Grafton and the tavern prospered. When Hyman Burgess took over in 1823, the building had doubled in size. Brothers Francis and Harlan Phelps bought the tavern in 1865, and ran it for the next 48 years. In 1867, they welcomed Ulysses S. Grant as their most famous guest. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Rudyard Kipling would also stay at the hotel. Trials were held at the inn, which accommodated visiting judges and lawyers. The Phelps brothers added a third story and porches before their era of proprietorship ended. Despite the efforts of subsequent owners, the tavern entered a period of decline.

In 1965, the Old Tavern was purchased by the Windham Foundation and restored with modern amenities. The guest rooms are free of telephones and televisions so that visitors to Grafton can find the inn, which is listed in the "Historic Hotels of America," a quiet and refreshing retreat."

Grafton's White Church

Favorite thing: Almost every town in New England (and probably most other areas) has at least one White Church. This is Grafton's White Church, and just along the road is their Brick Church.

The Brick Church was built in 1833 as the Congregational meeting house. The White Church was built in 1858 as the Baptist meeting house. in 1972 the churches united . Services are held at 9a.m. each Sunday in the Brick Church from June to-October, and in the White Church from November to May.

Both churches may be viewed, and the keys available at Tickle Your Fancy Gifts. 'Phone: (802) 843-2346

Fondest memory: "Grafton's Baptists built their first church in the lower village in 1814. They built the White Church forty-four years later. By the 1870s, the Baptist Women's Aid Society was providing support to preachers and sponsoring repairs to the church and parsonage. In those early years in Grafton the Baptists and Congregationalists each attended their own church, but by 1920 neither of the two factions were large enough or rich enough to continue on their own. As a solution, they formed the Federated Church of Grafton. By doing this, the two churches could operate with one minister who would hold services for six months of the year in each church. Today, the White Church is used in the winter and the Brick Church, which does not have central heating, is used in the summer."

The White Church

Favorite thing: Front View of the White Church. It wasn't possible to get all of the Church in the photo from here.

"Just before Main Street meets the fork that foretells its end on the west side of town, the steeples of Grafton's two churches rise up to the sky. Grafton's Baptist citizens built the White Church in 1858, on the opposite side of the street from the Brick Church of the Congregationalists. Local Congregationalists built their first church in 1792, on Middleton Hill. By the early 1830s, that meetinghouse was in need of repair, and a debate started over whether a new church should be built in the valley. Captain John Barrett wanted to see the Congregationalist Church move from the hill to the lower village, and when the Brick Church and its Chapel were built in 1833, he paid for half of the $4,000 construction cost. A liberal supporter of the church, Barrett also paid for one-quarter of the minister's salary."

Historical Houses

Favorite thing: "The Grafton Library was originally built as the home for one of Grafton's most prominent early citizens - John L. Butterfield. Butterfield was the town physician and he built the house in 1811 with the money from his thriving medical practice. His son, Lewis Butterfield, continued the tradition of prosperity by becoming part owner of the local soapstone quarry. Soapstone mining was a booming industry in the 1840s, and Grafton was one of the two largest producers in the United States."

Fondest memory: This picture is NOT of the library.

Grafton General Store

Favorite thing: The present-day Grafton Village Store was built in 1841 by Captain Barrett's nephew, George Barrett. On his retirement from storekeeping, Barrett sold the business to Edward L. Walker, who sold it to Walter E. L. Walker, who owned it for 26 years. In 1882, Grafton's first telegraph line was installed at this store. An eight-word telegraph to neighbouring Bellows Falls cost fifteen cents.

In 1909, Francis A. Palmer purchased Walker’s Store and ran it until his death in 1950.

As well as providing for the needs of the townsfolk, the present owner of the store is happy for you to use the shop's other 'facilities. I suppose you could say it was a 'convenience store'? LOL! Seriously, there seemed to be a general lack of publick restrooms most places we went, so you either visited a restaurant, or a service station, etc.

Fondest memory: "In 1909, Francis A. Palmer, author of Grafton's first published history, purchased Walker’s Store and ran it until his death in 1950. "Palm" was a well-liked, lively storekeeper who opened up at six so that men could buy their tobacco for the day, and stayed open late for political debates and checker matches. The F. A. Palmer Cash Store was a focal point of Grafton life in the 1930s, and with the generous help of organizations such as the Bunbury Company and the Windham Foundation, this village store has kept its doors open throughout the years and continues to be a thriving center of community activities."

Vermont Countryside in The Fall

Favorite thing: Just a little picture of the Vermont countryside in early Fall. We were perhaps only a day or three away from the really bright Fall colours of the Maples and other trees.

Grafton Historical Museum

Favorite thing: Known as the Stowell/Mead House, the building itself is an interesting example of "plank" construction. It was constructed by piling two-by-fours one on top of the other horizontally, with clapboards over the outside. This technique makes for a strong and well-insulated building, but uses a lot of wood , which was not a problem in 1840s Vermont.

The Grafton Historical Society was formed on August 2, 1962, and in 1978 The society began renting the Stowell/Mead house for a museum , after the Windham Foundation had purchased and restored the house to its former beauty.

Fondest memory: The Museum collects and exhibits local Soapstone objects, Textiles, Photos and Furniture.

The Museum is open as follows

Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays

Open Memorial Day through Columbus Day
and daily during foliage season:
10-12 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.
Also open by appointment. Call 802-843-1010.