Hartford (village), Vermont facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hartford Village Historic District
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Hartford Historical Society building
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly along Hartford Main, Summer and Christian Sts., Hartford, Vermont |
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| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Built | 1801 |
| Architect | Dana, Jebediah; et al. |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001153 |
| Added to NRHP | September 3, 1998 |
Hartford is a small, historic village in Vermont, United States. It's one of five villages in the larger town of Hartford, located in Windsor County. Sometimes it's called Hartford Village. In 2020, about 754 people lived here. The whole town of Hartford has about 10,686 residents.
Hartford is famous as the birthplace of Horace Wells. He was a dentist who first used "laughing gas" (called nitrous oxide) to help people not feel pain during dental work. This was a very important discovery for medicine!
A Look Back: Hartford Village History
Hartford village first started in the late 1700s. Back then, it was known as White River Village. For many years, it was the main community hub for the town.
Later, another nearby area called White River Junction grew bigger. It became the new main center, about a mile east of Hartford village. In the 1800s, Hartford village was home to several businesses. These included a place to grind grain, a factory that made chairs, and a mill that produced woolen cloth.
Exploring the Hartford Village Historic District
The Hartford Village Historic District is a special area recognized for its important history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This means it's officially protected because of its historical value.
The district covers about 50 acres (20 hectares). It includes parts of several streets like Hartford Main Street, Park Street, and School Street. Inside this district, there are 80 buildings that help tell the story of the past. These are called "contributing properties." Most of them are homes built in the 1800s.
Some of the most interesting buildings in the historic district include:
- Second Congregational Church, built in 1828, located at 237 Hartford Main Street.
- Hartford Library, a beautiful building from 1893, found at 217 Hartford Main Street.
- Gov. Samuel E. Pingree House, a home built around 1867, at 13 School Street.
- Hartford Village Grammar School, a school building from 1906, at 23 School Street.
- Cascadnac Grange, a community building from around 1870, at 194 Hartford Main Street.
- Hartford Diner, a classic diner from about 1940, at 190 Hartford Main Street.
- Kneeland-Cone House, a historic home with parts from 1804, at 173 Hartford Main Street.
- Wyllys Lyman House, built in 1828, at 185 Hartford Main Street.
- Brooks Store-Pease Block, a commercial building from around 1900, at 201-203 Hartford Main Street.
- French Mercantile Block, a store building from 1804, at 209 Hartford Main Street.
- Horace Pease House ("Sunnyacre")/Elks Lodge, a large home from 1884, at 215 Hartford Main Street.
- Ephraim Morris House, a home built in 1894, at 221 Hartford Main Street.
- House (Horace Wells birthplace), the home where Horace Wells was born, built around 1840, at 9 School Street.
