The Henry House, also known as William Henry House, is a historic house at 1338 Murphy Road in
Bennington, Vermont
Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...
. Built in 1769 and extensively reworked in 1798, it is one of Vermont's oldest surviving houses, and an important example of evolutionary architecture in the state during the 18th century. Now a wedding and events venue, 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 1988.
Description and history
The Henry House is located outside the village of
North Bennington, Vermont, on the south side of the
Walloomsac River
The Walloomsac River () from the Native American name, Wal-loom-sac is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hoosic River in the northeaster ...
, just south of the
Burt Henry Covered Bridge. It is set on of meadow, maple and pine.
The main block of the house is a -story wood-frame structure, with gabled roof and clapboard siding. Extending to the north and rear are ells, one of which appears to be a porch that was enclosed at a relatively early date. A two-story porch extends across the east side, supported by massive square posts. The interior of the main block has nearly intact finishes, including flooring, woodwork, door hinges and other hardware, although some parts were recycled from other old buildings during a 1930s restoration.
The house was built in 1769 for Elnathan Hubbell, and was extensively altered for William Henry about 1797. The Henrys were prominent in the settlement and politics of southwestern Vermont for many years, with Henry's son
William Henry representing the state in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
. The house was built just eight years after settlement began in the area, and is one of the state's oldest surviving buildings. The fact that it was altered in the 18th century is also important, as it provides a window into changing construction methods.
[
It was the birthplace of ]Horace Chapin Henry
Horace Chapin Henry (October 6, 1844Snowden, p. 103 – June 28, 1928) was an early Seattle businessman and founder of the Henry Art Gallery and Firland Tuberculosis Hospital.
Biography
He was born at the Henry House in Bennington, Vermont, in ...
, an early Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
businessman.
The house is now operated as The Henry House, a wedding and events venue.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont
* List of the oldest buildings in Vermont
References
External links
Henry House Inn
official site
The Henry House
official site
{{NRHP in Bennington County, Vermont
Buildings and structures in Bennington, Vermont
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
Georgian architecture in Vermont
Houses completed in 1769
Houses in Bennington County, Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County, Vermont