STATE OF VERMONT Division for Historic Preservation 1 National Life Drive, Floor 6 Montpelier, VT 05602 HISTORIC SITES & STRUCTURES SURVEY District ☐ or Complex ☒ Survey Form

SURVEY NUMBER: (Assigned by VDHP)

Listed in State Register: ☐ Date:

COUNTY: Caledonia TOWN: St. Johnsbury LOCATION: 762 Mount Pleasant Street

DISTRICT INFORMATION ONLY COMPLEX INFORMATION ONLY NAME OF DISTRICT:

COMMON NAME: Old Silo Farm

TYPE OF DISTRICT:

PRESENT NAME: Old Silo Farm

TYPES OF STRUCTURES:

ORIGINAL NAME: St. Johnsbury City Dairy

TYPE OF COMPLEX: Agricultural

PHYSICAL CONDITION OF STRUCTURES: Good ☒ Fair ☐ Poor ☐

TYPES OF STRUCTURES: House, Barns, Outbuildings PRESENT USE: Residential

LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE: Local ☒ State ☐ National ☐

ORIGINAL USE: Agricultural ARCHITECT/ENGINEER: n/a

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Agriculture, Architecture BUILDER/CONTRACTOR: n/a ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC: Yes ☐ No ☒ Restricted ☐

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The Old Silo Farm is located on a 34.79-acre parcel that was once part of a larger farm, known most recently as The City Dairy of St. Johnsbury, operated by Edward A. Gray. The farm on this parcel was active until the late 1960s, when cows and milking operations were moved to another site that was part of the original business before it was divided up and sold as smaller parcels. The buildings on the current parcel include a residence (built 1920), which was occupied until the late 1960s by farm hands and their families, a high drive, an attached milking barn, and a wooden silo. The silo is said to have been one of the first to appear in Vermont, and features two layers of boards, mounted in horizontal bands. Our best estimate is that parts of the barns and the silo date back to the late 1800s. The buildings are clustered at the south end of the property, with direct access to Mount Pleasant Road. The agricultural fields and woodlots extend to the north and provide an agricultural context for the property. The Old Silo Farm meets the registrations requirements for the “farmstead” property type as described in the Agricultural Resources of Vermont Multiple Property Documentation Form.

MAPS

1. Farmhouse 2. Barn Complex 3. Equipment Shed 4. Corncrib 5. Spring House

BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: The boundary is the outer edge of the 34.79-acre parcel that comprises the property in 2017. REFERENCES: RECORDED BY: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger Devin Colman

ORGANIZATION: Owners Division for Historic Pres.

DATE RECORDED: September 2017 October 2017

INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS OF DISTRCT or SURVEY: (include survey number only if surveyed individually)

MAP NUMBER: 1 SURVEY NUMBER: COMMON NAME: Farmhouse FUNCTIONAL TYPE: Residential OWNER: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger DATE BUILT: 1920 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: n/a PHOTO NUMBER: DESCRIPTION: Gable front, 2 ½ story house with the ridgeline running north-south. A full-width open porch spans the façade and is topped with a low, hipped roof supported by square posts. Between the posts is a simple balustrade and frieze. Main entry is in the left bay, with two double-hung, 2/2 windows to the right. In the gable end are two closely-spaced, double-hung, 2/2 windows. There is a lunette-shaped vent in the gable peak. Fenestration on the side elevations is placed asymmetrically but consists of double-hung, 2/2 windows. The roof is clad with asphalt shingles and there is a brick chimney at the rear of the eastern roof slope. Projecting northward from the back of the house is an addition with a garage in the lower level and living space above. MAP NUMBER: 2 SURVEY NUMBER: COMMON NAME: Barn Complex FUNCTIONAL TYPE: Agricultural OWNER: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger DATE BUILT: c. 1880 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: n/a PHOTO NUMBER: DESCRIPTION: Large complex of three connected barns with a silo on the northwest side. Entrance to the main barn is via a high drive on the southwest gable end. Two connected barns project to the southeast from the center of the eave side of the main barn. The barn furthest to the southeast has a square cupola centered on the ridgeline. The silo has horizontal boards with a conical roof and is connected to the main barn via an enclosed walkway.

MAP NUMBER: 3 SURVEY NUMBER: COMMON NAME: Equipment Shed FUNCTIONAL TYPE: Agricultural OWNER: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger DATE BUILT: ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: n/a PHOTO NUMBER: DESCRIPTION: Three-sided equipment shed with three open bays on the south elevation (eave-side). It has a steeply-pitched, metal gable roof with the ridgeline running east-west. Above the open bays, a shed roof supported by angled brackets projects from the eave and provides additional shelter. The walls are clad with vertical board siding.

MAP NUMBER: 4 SURVEY NUMBER: COMMON NAME: Corn Crib FUNCTIONAL TYPE: Agricultural OWNER: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger DATE BUILT: ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: n/a PHOTO NUMBER: DESCRIPTION: Small corncrib with a steeply-pitched gable roof and broad eaves. In typical corncrib design, the sidewalls are slanted inward towards the bottom. Combined with the broad eaves, this helped to keep water from getting into the corncrib through the wooden slats on the sidewalls. The structure is set up off the ground on wooden posts, and has four small openings for a dovecote in the gable peak.

MAP NUMBER: 5 SURVEY NUMBER: COMMON NAME: Spring House FUNCTIONAL TYPE: Agricultural OWNER: Brian Romeo/Christopher Wenger DATE BUILT: ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: n/a PHOTO NUMBER: DESCRIPTION: Low, squat structure with a gable roof and wood shingle siding. A vertical plank door on the south gable end provides access to the interior.

Photographs

Photograph 1. Aerial view of the Old Silo Farm in 1973.

Photograph 2. From L-R: View looking north at Silo, High Drive/Dairy Barn, Connecting Barn, Milking Barn,

Residence.

Photograph 3. View looking north at Silo and High Drive into Dairy Barn.

Photograph 4. View looking north at high drive inside the Dairy Barn.

Photograph 6. Interior view of Dairy Barn framing.

Photograph 7. View looking west at Connector (left), east elevation of Dairy Barn (center),

and corner of Equipment Shed (right).

Photograph 7. View looking northwest at Equipment Shed.

Photograph 8. View looking north at Corn Crib.

Photograph 9. View looking north at Spring House.

Photograph 10. View looking northeast at Farmhouse from Mount Pleasant Road.