Moscow Village Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Moscow Village Historic District
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| Location | Moscow Rd., Shaw Hill Rd., Adams Mill Rd., River Rd., Stowe, Vermont |
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| Area | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| Built | 1822 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000744 |
| Added to NRHP | July 31, 2008 |
The Moscow Village Historic District encompasses a former 19th-century industrial village in southern Stowe, Vermont. Centered on the Little River at its Moscow Road crossing, the village prospered into the early 20th century as a woodworking center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Description and history
The town of Stowe was settled beginning in the 1790s, and by the early 19th century, three small villages had arisen on the banks of the Little River. The southernmost of these, originally called Smith's Falls, was by 1839 commonly referred to as "Moscow". The river was dammed at this point in 1822 by Alexander Seaver, and soon a carding mill and sawmill were in operation. Both the dam (rebuilt in concrete in 1918) and the sawmill (now housing a woodworking shop) survive today, as does Seaver's 1825 house. The village prospered on a combination of services to the surrounding farms, and the development of woodworking as an industry to capitalize on the area's rich forests.
The historic district is centered on the river, with Moscow Road spanning it on a 1949 bridge, and two dams across it just downstream. South of the river, it extends along Barnes Hill and Adams Mill Road, roughly paralleling the river west of the bridge. On the north side, it extends westward along Moscow Road (again paralleling the river), and eastward along River Road to its junction with Shaw Hill Road. The district contains a mix of residential, industrial, and commercial properties, generally of wood frame construction and one or two stories in height. The 25 properties in the district also include a general store and a school, the latter now converted to an artist's studio.
