West Hartford, Vermont

This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

United States historic place

West Hartford Village Historic District

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

The former West Hartford Village Store

Show map of Vermont

Show map of the United States

Location| VT 14, Harper Savage Ln., Tigertown Rd., and Stetson Rd., Hartford, Vermont
Coordinates| 43°42′59″N 72°24′58″W﻿ / ﻿43.71639°N 72.41611°W﻿ / 43.71639; -72.41611
Area| 47 acres (19 ha)
Architectural style| Federal, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.| 04001368[1]
Added to NRHP| December 15, 2004

West Hartford is an unincorporated community village in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is one of Hartford's five villages, situated on the White River and crossed by the Appalachian Trail.

West Hartford no longer has a post office, but still has a local library, and a town park. The White River, is a nearby fishing site. The village's center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the West Hartford Village Historic District.

## Geography

[edit]

West Hartford is located in far northern Hartford, seven river miles up the White River from its mouth at the Connecticut River. Its center is at geographical coordinates 43° 42′ 44" North, 72° 25′ 7" West (43.71212, -72.418541). The White River runs through the Village and along Clifford Park.

## History

[edit]

The village of West Hartford was settled during the late 18th century, primarily organized around mills and outlying agricultural areas. The oldest surviving house in the village was built in 1795 by Francis and Abigail (Hazen) Savage. Abigail was the granddaughter of the area's first colonial landowner. A turnpike, now Vermont Route 14, was built along the river in 1800. The focal center of the village was established at Harper Savage Lane by construction of its first bridge to span the White River in 1820, and then by the construction of a railroad station nearby. By 1830, the village had a church and post office, and the village continued to thrive during the 19th century, mainly due to its proximity to White River Junction, an important railroad hub in the region. Much of the village was destroyed by a major flood in 1867. This natural disaster destroyed much of the local industry, with the exception of retail which continued, driven by the presence of the railroad.[2]

In the spring of 1927, the Vermont rivers flooded, taking out several bridges including the West Hartford Bridge, then a covered bridge. Shortly after the flood, the bridges were all replaced with simple contemporary bridges that were tall, green, and steel trussed. In 2006, the West Hartford Bridge was replaced with a new single-span bridge named Veterans Bridge. The old bridge had a pool off of the downstream side where locals would jump off the bridge into the water. The new bridge is in a location where it is dangerous to jump because the deep pool is no longer accessible, although teens, children, and adults still jump off the bridge. At the foot of the new bridge, there is a small area in remembrance of Hartford Veterans.

Clifford Park is a town maintained park that includes nature trails, a softball field, horseshoe pits, and a picnic area on the river. Every summer, it is turned into a major landing area for the hot air balloons that have taken off at the Quechee Balloon Festival, and every Halloween it is the Haunted Area for local youths sponsored by the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department. The park is named Clifford, after the former owner of the land that now holds the park, and the land that is the Westfield Drive community.

On August 28, 2011, West Hartford was hit by Tropical Storm Irene. Several houses, the country store, the library, and the post office were affected. The post office was torn down, the store repaired, and the library has been rebuilt.

The bridge and road also suffered damage from this event. The bridge was out of commission for several weeks, forcing people to find alternative routes to get to work and into more populated areas. As for the road, Route 14, it was usable to a certain point. It was repaired slowly and in the village itself there were several large holes where the river gouged away the pavement, dirt, and gravel. In August 29, residents and volunteers were using their tractors and snowplows to clear Route 14 of mud and debris. The town's church was used as a place for gathering donated items and food to be collected for the victims of Storm Irene.

The storm left Clifford Park significantly damaged. It accumulated at least a foot of mud, and the playground, basketball half-court, tennis courts, and baseball field all had to be reconstructed. There are picnic tables underneath a shade structure, and benches stand here and there around the perimeter of the field, and the gravel parking lot is now outlined by a wooden fence.

Debris has been cleared and restoration is complete, but evidence of the storm's destruction can still be observed. Houses, roads, and riverbanks still bear the mark of Irene in erosion and weathering.

## Schools

[edit]

West Hartford elementary students attend Ottauquechee School in Quechee, VT (K-5) and attend middle and high school at Hartford Memorial Middle School (6-8) and Hartford High School (9-12). Large private schools in the area include: the Upper Valley Waldorf School in Quechee (K-8), Mid Vermont Christian School in Quechee (K-6) and the Middle School (7-8) and High School (9-12). [citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Paula Sagermann (2004). "NRHP nomination for West Hartford Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved September 5, 2016. with photos from 2004

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Hartford Village Historic District.

* Town of Hartford, Vermont (official site)
* Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce
* Hartford Historical Society
* Hartford School District

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Windsor County, Vermont

National
Historic
Landmarks|

* Calvin Coolidge Homestead District
* George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home
* Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop
* Stellafane Observatory

Districts|

* Advent Camp Meeting Grounds Historic District
* Ascutney Mill Dam Historic District
* Ascutney State Park
* Bethel Village Historic District
* Theron Boyd Homestead
* Brigham Hill Historic District
* Brook Farm
* Chester Village Historic District
* Christian Street Rural Historic District
* Coolidge State Park
* Fletcher–Fullerton Farm
* Goodrich Four Corners Historic District
* Hartford Village Historic District
* Jericho Rural Historic District
* King Farm
* Ludlow Village Historic District
* Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
* Gen. Lewis R. Morris House
* Norwich Mid-Century Modern Historic District
* Norwich Village Historic District
* Parker Hill Rural Historic District ‡
* Plymouth Historic District
* Quechee Historic Mill District
* Isaac M. Raymond Farm
* Saddlebow Farm
* Slayton–Morgan Historic District
* South Royalton Historic District
* South Woodstock Village Historic District
* Southview Housing Historic District
* Springfield Downtown Historic District
* Stockbridge Common Historic District
* Stone Village Historic District
* Taftsville Historic District
* Terraces Historic District
* Weathersfield Center Historic District
* West Hartford Village Historic District
* Weston Village Historic District
* White River Junction Historic District
* Wilder Village Historic District
* Wilgus State Park
* Windsor Village Historic District
* Woodstock Village Historic District

Buildings|

| Commercial|

* Aiken Stand Complex
* Fox Stand
* F. H. Gillingham & Sons
* Locust Creek House Complex
* Charles Marsh Law Office
* Pollard Block
* Progressive Market
* Simons' Inn
* Windsor House

|

Educational|

* Abbott Memorial Library
* Beaver Meadow School
* Black River Academy
* Eureka Schoolhouse
* Hartford Library
* Ludlow Graded School
* Park Street School
* Root School
* South Reading Schoolhouse
* Spencer Hollow School

Government|

* Damon Hall
* Fire District No. 2 Firehouse
* Reading Town Hall

Industrial|

* Bridgewater Woolen Mill
* Royalton Mill Complex

Religious|

* Beaver Meadow Union Chapel
* Cavendish Universalist Church
* Congregational Church of Ludlow
* Old Christ Church
* St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Residential|

* Atherton Farmstead
* Augustus and Laura Blaisdell House
* Twing Buckman House
* Rev. George Daman House
* Dewey House
* Wentworth and Diana Eldredge House
* Ezekiel Emerson Farm
* Farrar-Mansur House
* Joseph Fessenden House
* Reverend Dan Foster House
* Fowler-Steele House
* Gate of the Hills
* Daniel Gay House
* Glimmerstone
* Greenwood House
* Harrington House
* Hartness House
* Jeffrey House
* Wales N. Johnson House
* Juniper Hill Farm-Maxwell Evarts House
* Lockwood-Boynton House
* Luce Farm
* Maple Hill Farm
* Joseph and Daniel Marsh House
* McKenstry Manor
* Meeting House Farm
* Owen Moon Farm
* NAMCO Block
* Old Constitution House
* Aaron Jr. and Susan Parker Farm
* Zachariah Spaulding Farm
* Walter and Sylvia Stockmayer House
* Jedediah Strong II House
* David Sumner House
* John Wilder House

Object|

* Indian Stones

Sites|

* Gilbert's Hill
* Historic Crown Point Road

Structures|

* Best's Covered Bridge
* Bowers Covered Bridge
* Bridge 15
* Bridgewater Corners Bridge
* Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge‡
* Gilead Brook Bridge
* Gould's Mill Bridge
* Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road
* Kendron Brook Bridge
* Lincoln Covered Bridge
* Martin's Mill Covered Bridge
* Ottauquechee River Bridge
* Quechee Gorge Bridge
* Spaulding Bridge
* Stockbridge Four Corners Bridge
* Taftsville Covered Bridge
* Upper Falls Covered Bridge
* West Hartford Bridge
* West Woodstock Bridge
* Willard Covered Bridge
* Woodstock Warren Through Truss Bridge

Footnotes|

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

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

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Windsor County, Vermont, United States

Shire town: Woodstock

Towns|

* Andover
* Baltimore
* Barnard
* Bethel
* Bridgewater
* Cavendish
* Chester
* Hartford
* Hartland
* Ludlow
* Norwich
* Plymouth
* Pomfret
* Reading
* Rochester
* Royalton
* Sharon
* Springfield
* Stockbridge
* Weathersfield
* West Windsor
* Weston
* Windsor
* Woodstock

Map of Vermont highlighting Windsor County

Villages|

* Ludlow
* Perkinsville
* Woodstock

CDPs|

* Ascutney
* Bethel
* Cavendish
* Chester
* Hartford Village
* Hartland
* North Hartland
* North Springfield
* Norwich
* Proctorsville
* Quechee
* Rochester
* South Royalton
* South Woodstock
* Springfield
* West Woodstock
* Weston
* White River Junction
* Wilder
* Windsor

Other
communities|

* Brownsville
* Felchville
* Gaysville
* Hartland Four Corners
* Lewiston
* North Pomfret
* Plymouth Notch
* Weathersfield Bow
* West Hartford

* Vermont portal
* United States portal

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template