Scenic USA - Vermont Weston Mill Museum |
Photos by Ben Prepelka Ben Prepelka Photography |
The village of Weston, one of Vermont's oldest Green Mountain towns, dates back to the 1760. Known then as the West Town of Andover, one of the first buildings was a sawmill on the banks of the West River. Ezekial Pease raised a small dwelling and a sawmill in 1780 which lasted 120 years. Ruined by a fire in 1900, the mill was rebuilt several times, with the last in 1936. Entrepreneurs converted the mill into a grist mill at the time. Operated by the Orton family, a portion of their business was products sold through mail order.
The Old Mill Museum is one of three museum buildings, providing Weston visitors a thorough look into life of the early nineteenth century. Staffed and maintained by a group of volunteers from Weston, the Farrar-Mansur House was originally built as a home and tavern in 1797. When Captain Oliver Farrar bought the Pease Mill in 1795 he set out to build a more substantial home for his new bride Polly. The new home was completed in 1797 and in addition to its living quarters, the two story structure included a tavern room (run by Polly), a ladies parlor and a ballroom on the second floor.
Next to the mill is the Craft Building, built as a firehouse in the late nineteenth century. In the 1920s, Frank Mansur took over the firehouse in the 1920s and used it as a machine shop. In subsequent years the old fire station continued to house a variety of craftspeople, leading to its name Craft Building.
The Weston Historical Society provided funds to refurbish these museum sites and preserve an interesting collection of early 19th century pieces. Museum displays include furniture, Vermont-made brass, copper, silver, pewter and tin items, toys musical instruments, china, pottery and glassware, quilts, and 19th century portraits. The mill includes all the sawmill's blades, mill machinery, and early trade tools. The Weston Mill Museum is open for tours on Wednesdays and weekends during peak season, and opens on select dates the remainder of the year.
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