The Ancestors of Your Guide - 30 School Street

Before leaving this area, I can’t resist giving a shout-out to the large white house next door and my own family’s roots. Established in 1921, the Guare & Sons Funeral Home is the oldest family-owned business in Montpelier that is still in operation. It was established by my grandparents, Thomas J. Guare and Florence Emmons Guare, and although I can’t prove it, my grandmother was almost certainly the first female licensed embalmer in the area.

We’ll head back now and cross Main Street to reach our next stop but pause at the corner for a peek at the large “Restaurant” sign on top of the building facing us. This is a historic neon sign and it is fitting that it still blazes bright over a site that has housed a restaurant since at least the 1870s. Once we cross the street I will tell you how ironic it is that the Vermont State Liquor Store ended up on this corner.