Barre Downtown Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Barre Downtown Historic District

Barre, Washington County, Vermont
Listed
September 3, 1979
Type
District
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
79000227

About this property

The Barre Downtown Historic District encompasses the historic commercial and civic heart of the city of Barre, Vermont. Extending along Main Street from City Park to Depot Square, this area was developed quite rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s, when the area experienced rapid growth due to the expansion of the nearby granite quarries. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Barre was primarily a small sleepy agricultural community until it was joined to the national railroad network by the Central Vermont Railway in 1875. Granite had been quarried in the surrounding hills as early as the early 19th century, but the arrival of that railroad connection, and another directly to the quarries in 1888, rapidly accelerated development of the granite industry. This transformed what had been a modest village into a full-fledged city (incorporated in 1895), including the construction of the commercial and civic buildings which line North Main Street and City Park, most built between 1880 and 1925. The district is mostly linear, extending along North Main Street (US 302) between Depot Square and City Park. City Park is a triangular park formed by Washington, Church, and North Main Streets, and is ringed by civic and religious buildings, which form the southeastern end of the district. Despite the significance of granite to the local economy, most of the buildings are of primarily brick construction. They are in a diversity of styles, from late examples of Italianate architecture, built in the 1880s, to Classical Revival and Romanesque building from the 1890s and 1900s. The 1898 Miles Block (158-168 North Main) exhibits one of the most extensive uses of local granite in its construction. Aldrich Building, 47 N. Main Street, a trapezoidal building Barre Fire Station, 8 South Main Street, now a restaurant Masonic Temple, 2 Academy Street. It has a monumental pedimented Tuscan portico, Masonic Temple signage, and offices extension to the rear which were added in 1929 to a c.1830-built Greek Revival house. National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Vermont

Location

Barre, Washington County, Vermont
44.19604, -72.49846

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCETRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Aldrich Public Library
Industrial
0.2 mi
Barre City Hall and Opera House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Wheelock Law Office
Industrial
0.3 mi
Reynolds House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Smith, E.L., Roundhouse Granite Shed
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Barre Downtown Historic District listed on the National Register?

Barre Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Barre Downtown Historic District?

Barre Downtown Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Barre Downtown Historic District?

The period of significance for Barre Downtown Historic District is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Barre Downtown Historic District?

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