Meeting House Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Meeting House Farm
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | 128 Union Village Rd., Norwich, Vermont |
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| Area | 90 acres (36 ha) |
| Built | c. 1788 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100005061 |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 2020 |
The Meeting House Farm is a really old farm at 128 Union Village Road in Norwich, Vermont. It covers more than 90 acres of forests and fields. This farm has over 200 years of history built into its buildings. It includes a farmhouse from the late 1700s and a barn from the early 1800s. Because of its long history, the farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Exploring Meeting House Farm
Meeting House Farm is in a quiet, country part of northern Norwich. The main farm buildings are on the east side of Union Village Road. It's about 1 mile north of the center of Norwich village.
The Farmhouse and Barn
The farmhouse is a beautiful, two-story building made of wood. It has a sloped roof and two chimneys inside. The house has a classic design for its time, with rooms on either side of a central hallway. The front of the house looks balanced, with windows around a main door. This door has fancy columns and a window above it.
Most of the other farm buildings were built later, in the late 1800s or 1900s. But there is also an old barn from the early 1800s. The farm's land is split into different areas. There are pastures for animals, fields for growing crops, and wooded areas. Old stone walls and paths still show how the land was used long ago.
A Glimpse into the Past
The town of Norwich was officially started in 1761. This happened thanks to New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth. He was giving out land grants in the area at the time.
The Meeting House Farm property was first settled by Thomas Murdock. He was an immigrant from Ireland who moved here in 1767. Murdock's first house was across the street from where the current farmhouse stands. He is also believed to have built the current farmhouse around 1788. Thomas Murdock was an important person in town. He held local government jobs and served in the state legislature.
His son, Constant Murdock, later owned the farm. Constant built the surviving barn on the property. He did something very interesting: in 1817, he bought the town's first meeting house at an auction. He then used the strong wooden beams from that old meeting house to build his barn! Constant Murdock's family eventually sold the farm. However, it is still an active farm today in 2020.
