First Congregational Church of Cornwall Parsonage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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First Congregational Church of Cornwall Parsonage
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Location | 18 VT 74, Cornwall, Vermont |
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Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1839 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 15000376 |
Added to NRHP | June 29, 2015 |
The First Congregational Church of Cornwall Parsonage is a special old house in Cornwall, Vermont. It was built in 1839. This house is a great example of Greek Revival architecture, which was a popular style back then.
For many years, until 1994, this house was a "parsonage." A parsonage is a home provided by a church for its minister or pastor. Because of its history and unique style, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This means it's an important historical building!
What Does It Look Like?
The old parsonage is in the middle of Cornwall village. You can find it at the corner of Vermont Routes 74 and 30. It's a two-and-a-half story house made of wood.
The house has a "gable roof" that faces the front. This means the roof comes to a point like a triangle at the front of the house. Its outside walls are covered with "clapboards," which are long, thin boards. The house sits on a strong foundation made of slate.
The front of the house has three sections, called "bays." There's a small triangular window in the roof's gable. The main entrance used to be on the side of the house. It had a pretty porch from the late 1800s. Now, the main door is on the north side of the house.
Inside, the house has a "central hall plan." This means there's a hallway right in the middle, with rooms on either side. It even has an original curved staircase! One of the rooms downstairs has a special Rumford fireplace with a "beehive oven." These were cool features for cooking and heating in the past.
A Look Back in Time
The First Congregational Church in Cornwall started way back in 1785. But they didn't build their first church building until 1805. The church's first full-time minister was given land. However, it took a while for the church to decide to build a parsonage.
Finally, in 1839, the church agreed to build this house for their fifth minister, Jacob Scales. Mr. Scales had some disagreements with people in the town. These disagreements were about how the parsonage should be built. He left the church a few years later.
After he left, a group of church members bought the house. They then gave it to the church. The First Congregational Church owned the parsonage until 1994. It has been a part of Cornwall's history for a very long time!