Hard Farm Homestead

Historic house in Vermont, United States

United States historic place

Zera Hard House

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| River Rd., Manchester, Vermont
Coordinates| 43°7′49″N 73°4′56″W﻿ / ﻿43.13028°N 73.08222°W﻿ / 43.13028; -73.08222
Area| 7.7 acres (3.1 ha)
Built| 1804 (1804)
Built by| Jesse Hard, Zera Hard
Architectural style| Greek Revival, Cape Cod
NRHP reference No.| 88002230[1]
Added to NRHP| November 9, 1988

The Hard Farm Homestead, also known as the Zera Hard House, is a historic farm complex on River Road in Manchester, Vermont. Consisting of an early 19th-century Cape, an 1840s Greek Revival house, and a number of 19th-century outbuildings, it represents a rare surviving assemblage of farm buildings in the town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]

## Description and history[edit]

The Hard Farm Homestead is located in southern Manchester, its buildings on either side of River Road, just north of Muddy Lane. The main house is set on the east side of the street, overlooking the Battenkill River. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a prominent two-story Greek Revival temple portico facing the street. Across the street stand a 1+1⁄2-story Cape style house, along with a barn, corn crib, shed, and chicken coop, all dating to the 19th century. A 20th-century garage stands adjacent to the main house. The construction method of the main house is an unusual form of plank construction, in which planking is laid horizontally (rather than vertically as in typical plank frame construction), with layers randomly overlapping and joined by spikes.[2]

The oldest building of the complex is the Cape, which was, according to Hard family records, built by Quakers named Soper about 1806. It was later purchased by Jesse Hard, and it was his son Zera who built the Greek Revival house about 1840. The Hard family has long had a prominent place in Manchester, one of its members operating the drugstore in the center, and another a noted local poet. The Greek Revival temple front of the main house is a particular rarity in the town.[2]

## See also[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Zera Hard House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-11.

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National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County, Vermont

Districts|

* Arlington Village Historic District
* Bennington College Historic District
* Bennington Fish Hatchery
* Carrigan Lane Historic District
* Center Shaftsbury Historic District
* Dorset Village Historic District
* Downtown Bennington Historic District
* East Arlington Village Historic District
* Equinox House Historic District
* Furnace Grove Historic District
* Holden–Leonard Workers Housing Historic District
* Kent Neighborhood Historic District
* Manchester Village Historic District
* North Bennington Historic District
* Old Bennington Historic District
* The Orchards
* Rupert Village Historic District

Buildings|

* Bennington High School
* Bennington Post Office
* Bennington Railroad Station
* W. H. Bradford Hook and Ladder Fire House
* William C. Bull House
* E. J. Bullock Block
* First Congregational Church of Bennington
* Robert Frost Farm
* Gov. Jonas Galusha Homestead
* Zera Hard House
* William Henry House
* Hildene
* Holden–Leonard Mill Complex
* Jenks Tavern
* Amos Lawrence House
* Manley-Lefevre House
* David Mathews House ‡
* Munro-Hawkins House
* North Bennington Depot
* Julius and Sophia Norton House
* Park-McCullough House
* Pratt-McDaniels-LaFlamme House
* Ritchie Block
* School Street Duplexes
* Frederick Squire House
* Tudor House
* Wait Block
* H.C. White Company Mill Complex
* Cora B. Whitney School
* Wilson House
* Yester House

Structures|

* Arlington Green Covered Bridge
* Bennington Battle Monument
* Bennington Falls Covered Bridge
* Henry Covered Bridge
* Silk Covered Bridge

Former listings|

* Johnny Seesaw's Historic District

Footnotes|

‡ This historic property also has portions in an adjacent state.

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont and List of National Historic Landmarks in Vermont
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