The Grafton Post Office is a historic former post office building at 205 Main Street in
Grafton, Vermont
Grafton is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 645 at the 2020 census.
History
In the early 19th century, sheep raising became popular and multiple woolen mills sprang up along the branches of the Saxtons Rive ...
. Built in 1855 in the
Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
style, it was the town's post office for over 100 years, and served for a time thereafter as the local historical society museum. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2005.
[ It is still owned by the historical society, but leased for commercial retail purposes.
]
Description and history
The former Grafton Post Office is located on the east side of Grafton village, on the north side of Main Street (Vermont Route 121
Vermont Route 121 (VT 121) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from VT 11 in Londonderry east to U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in the incorporated village of Bellows Falls in the town of Rockingham. VT 12 ...
), just west of its junction with Chester Road (Vermont Route 35
Vermont Route 35 (VT 35) is a north–south state highway in southeastern Vermont, United States. It runs from an intersection with VT 30 in Townshend north to an intersection with VT 11 in Chester. The entirety of VT 35 ...
). It stands west of the former Grafton District Schoolhouse No. 2, and across the street from the public library, both individually listed on the National Register. The post office is a small single-story wood frame structure, with a front-facing gable roof, clapboard siding, and a fieldstone foundation. The main facade is three bays wide, with the entrance in the leftmost bay. Trim consists of simple corner boards and short gable returns. The interior, consisting of a single large room, with two smaller rooms in ells to the rear, has retained only some of its original features.Great New England Hurricane of 1938
The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great Long Island - New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike the United States. The storm formed near th ...
, at which time it was set on its present foundation, a short distance removed from its original location. In 1962 the building was sold to the Grafton Historical Society, which housed its museum there until 1978. The society continues to own the building, leasing it out.[
]
See also
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References
{{NRHP in Windham County, Vermont
Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
Government buildings completed in 1855
Buildings and structures in Grafton, Vermont
Greek Revival architecture in Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Vermont
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Vermont
1855 establishments in Vermont