By: Zack Patterson

Morrisville was founded in 1790 by Jacob Walker, a surveyor from Bennington. He was hired by Joseph Hindsdale to survey lots in northern Vermont. In 1791, ten people had settled in the area. By 1795, there were enough residents to create a government. A tavern, school, and church were soon constructed. In the early 1800’s, a movement arose to form a new county with Morrisville and it’s neighbors. The movement succeeded in 1835 and Lamoille County was formed with Morrisville, Stowe, Hyde Park, Elmore and Johnson. At the time, it had the smallest population of the 14 counties and had only 431 square miles. A man named John Safford opened Morrisville’s first sawmill. Lumber then soon became the town’s biggest export. In 1872, Morrisville emerged as a shipping point for agricultural products. Shortly after, the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad was built. This aided greatly in the further economical development of the town. In the year 2000, there were 5,139 people recorded living in Morrisville.

Graded Building Library First Congregational Church Centennial Block X XX X

South Elevation The Graded Building was constructed in 1900 as a school for kindergarten through 2 nd grade students. It is located near many of the downtown residences allowing for a short commute to school for most students. The building was build in the Colonial Revival style of architecture. It originally had a granite foundation, a full cornice and gable returns. On the South Elevation (shown) is a gabled central pavilion with bracketed returns and a projecting flat roof vestibule. An addition was built in 1917 by an architect from Burlington named Frank L. Austin. The addition was built using a concrete foundation and it doubled the size of the original classroom space. The building sits on a acre of land. 1/3 acre features a community playground for anyone to use. The school still serves its original purpose as a K-2 school. East Elevation

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South Elevation The Morrisville Centennial Library was built in The Library was started by Kelsey Block who purchased the land in 1912 and began construction shortly after. The building sits on a half acre of land neighboring a small graveyard to the north. It was built in the Neoclassical style of architecture and features a concrete foundation, brick exterior, cornice with large dentils and plain frieze, and a brick chimney on the west side. On the south elevation (shown) is a central pavilion with a pedimented and raised portico supported on four Ionic columns and an oculus inside a tympanum. To the right of the entrance is a bronze tablet that pays tribute to Morrisville’s World War I veterans, mounted on the wall in To the left of the entrance door is a wooden Roll of Honor that pays tribute to Morrisville’s World War II victims which was mounted in The library, like the Graded Building, is located near many of Morrisville’s downtown residences allowing for easy access to the community. Cornice/Column Detail

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South Elevation The First Congregational Church was built in 1896 and originally featured a rock foundation and had aluminum siding. It was later rebuilt in the 1920’s in the Queen Anne style of architecture with wooden shingles and a concrete foundation. The Church sits on a third of an acre and has a L-floor plan, cross gable and two brick chimneys. A 3-tiered bell tower sits on the southwest corner featuring a double wood entry door with stained glass fanlight and drip molding, heavy buttresses with round buttress caps above the balustraded belfry and cornices on the second and third tiers. The second tier has a tall, narrow paired arched windows with drip molding. Clipped shingles are used on the gable, belfry, and elsewhere on the building. The Church is decorated with large rounded-arch stained glass windows with drip molding on the south, east, and west elevations and with lunettes and the gable ends. Cross Gable View

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Southwest Elevation The Centennial Block began construction in The building was built in the Italianate style by local architect Cordilla W. Fitch in and was finished in It began construction on the town’s 100 year anniversary an thus got it’s name Centennial Block. A local named Dr. E.J. Hall proposed constructing the commercial building. It was recently redone over the summer of The large 3 story brick building sits on the corner of Portland and Lower Main Street, Morrisville’s two major streets. The first business to open was a drugstore ran by A.L. Cheney. Now the building is currently is occupied by 3 separate businesses including a sports store, a law office, and a town office of Morrisville. In 1940, an addition was added for the bank. This two story addition was built in the Art Deco style, one of the few in Vermont. The building has fluted concrete columns and cast stonework ornament in the frieze. The Centennial Block served as a pivotal point in Morrisville’s economic development. Bank Addition, South Elevation

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1.Mower, Ann L., and Robert L. Hagerman. Morrisvile Two Times. Barre, Vermont: Morrisville Historical Society, Bryer, Shaun C. Around Morristown. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2001.