Bill Wilson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wilson House
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| Location | 378 Village St., East Dorset, Vermont |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1852 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001427 |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1995 |
The Bill Wilson House is a historic hotel from the 1800s. It is located at 378 Village Street in East Dorset, Vermont, United States. The building was finished in 1852. It is famous as the birthplace of Bill Wilson. He was a co-founder of a well-known support group.
Today, the house is a living memorial to Bill Wilson. It works as a non-profit bed and breakfast. It has 14 guestrooms and a meeting room. The house is a place for educational seminars and regular support group meetings. The property became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
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About the Bill Wilson House
The Bill Wilson House is at the corner of Village Street and Mad Tom Road. It is in the center of East Dorset. This building is one of the biggest in the village. It is a large, two-story wooden building. The front of the house faces west toward Village Street. Three parts of the building stretch along Mad Tom Road to the east.
The front has a small porch. It shows a simple Greek Revival style. This porch goes partly around the north and south sides. A two-and-a-half-story addition connects to a large carriage barn. This barn is now used as a meeting space and a lounge area.
History of the House
The building was built and opened as a hotel in 1852. This was in a small Vermont village known for its marble quarry. The Griffith family owned the hotel when William (Bill) Griffith Wilson was born. He was born on November 26, 1895. His birth happened on the ground floor, behind the hotel bar, during a snowstorm.
When Bill was two years old, he moved to Rutland. This was before his parents divorced. At age 11, Bill and his sister, Dorothy, came back to East Dorset. They lived with their grandparents, the Griffiths. In 1987, the building had been empty for several years. Ozzie Lepper bought it to make it a memorial to Bill W. Since then, the building has been fixed up many times. It is now a working guest house and a place for conferences. Bill W. is buried nearby in a cemetery. His wife Lois and the Griffith family are also buried there.
People believe that Room 9 of the hotel is where Bill and Lois stayed. This was during one of their visits to the area.
Griffith Library and Other Visits
Close by is the Griffith Library. Bill lived here with his sister and grandparents. Today, it is a museum and a library. It is dedicated to Bill Wilson. He wrote the book Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 steps, and other books. These books are about helping people with difficult problems. Bill had many important childhood experiences in this house. For example, he built a boomerang and a radio from scratch. He met his future wife, Lois Wilson, at the nearby Emerald Lake.
Before the Bill Wilson birthplace became a memorial, Bill and Lois Wilson often visited East Dorset. They would stay at the Aerie Inn. This inn is in the same area as the Wilson family home. The Wilsons spent their summers at the Aerie Inn from 1960 until Bill's death in the early 1970s. The Wilsons did not have children. This made them very close to the owners and builders of the Aerie Inn. They always chose to stay in room 6. This room has been kept just as it was. The property became run down until 2003. Then, it was bought with the goal of keeping the memory of the Wilsons alive.
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