Browse Items (52 total)

In 1886, when state’s attorney Harlan W. Kemp built a new house at 30 School Street, a newspaper called it “an ornament to the street.” Kemp lived in his beautiful Second Empire home until his death in 1922. He had been a prominent citizen of the…

Yes, Montpelier used to have a YMCA! It was located on State Street where the Northfield Savings Bank portion of the Capitol Plaza Hotel is now located. The building had a large gymnasium in the back that featured a popular basketball court and the…

A miniature golf course in downtown Montpelier? How cool would that be? Such an attraction existed at 25 School Street for one year glorious year. The golf course, the brain-child of Dr. H. C. Minott and Glenn George, opened in September 1930. The…

Filling stations in the 1920s were small, attractive buildings with a few pumps out front and offering other services to the motoring public. One such early facility was Andrew Berganti’s Socony station built in 1926 at 15 Berlin Street near the…

The Twin City Motel on the Barre-Montpelier Road, soon to be acquired by the Good Samaritan Haven, is a well-maintained example of Vermont’s early tourist infrastructure. Located on a busy country road between two cities, this stop provided gas,…

In the early 20th century homeowners created “real photo postcards” of their homes, giving us a personalized view of history. This is the home of Hermon, Ellen and Emily Hopkins at 76 College Street. Mr. Hopkins was the long-serving treasurer of…

The small brick cottage at the corner of College and Arsenal Streets is a small portion of a much larger three-building complex that once stood there. A substantial brick arsenal was constructed here during the Civil War, just down the street from…

In the 1960s there were two motels on Northfield Street on either side of the Brown Derby Supper Club: Sowma’s Motel and the Brown Derby Motel. All three establishments were owned by Montpelier entrepreneur Abe Sowma. The postcard above shows Sowma’s…

Three army general hospitals operated in Vermont during the Civil War to provide care to wounded Vermonters away from the battle lines. One was the Sloan U.S. Hospital on the high plateau to the east side of Montpelier. The medical notebook of Henry…

At one time, the Italianate house at 56 East State Street had an impressive view of the village and a sweeping side driveway from the street, as shown in this 1885 watercolor by itinerant painter James F. Gilman. This was the home that successful…

The most colorful church in Montpelier was the First Baptist Church on School Street, separated from the city’s “big three” churches on Main Street by several of blocks. Designed in 1868 by local architect A. M. Burnham, the building featured many…

This is what real estate development along Marvin and Bingham Streets looked like in the mid-1930s. Bingham Street, seen running left to right in these photos, was built in 1895 by Morton Marvin who owned the house at 100 East State Street.…