Grafton Village Walking Tour

Nestled in the mountains of southern Vermont, Grafton is one of New England’s prettiest villages. Come take a walk with us!

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Grafton Village Walking Tour

Grafton, Vermont 05146, United States

Created By: Elizabeth Provo

Tour Information

WELCOME TO GRAFTON, VERMONT
Nestled in the mountains of southern Vermont, Grafton is one of New England’s prettiest villages. Many of its beautiful and historic buildings have been restored by its residents and the Windham Foundation, so today’s town looks much as it did years ago.

Grafton’s uniqueness comes from being a real village – not a museum recreation – with its citizens being its most valuable resource. It is a vibrant community, still holding the traditional Town Meeting with participation from a wonderfully diverse population of 600 people.

Step back in history as you walk our village streets, visiting our shops, galleries and museums. Continue your walk as you step further into nature, discovering ponds, fields and streams. Linger a few days and you will experience the beauty that surrounds us in these hills and come to adore our peace and quiet charm.

This walking tour has been made possible by the Grafton Outdoor Alliance and the Grafton Promotional Association.


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Welcome to Grafton, one of the prettiest small towns in America! Visitors to Grafton always enjoy free parking in our Village Parking Lot, which is conveniently located on Grafton/Townshend Road (Rt. 35) with easy access to everything the ... Read more
Starting your tour in the Village Parking lot will lead you to the Nature Museum at Grafton, directly across the street. The Museum is a regional resource for nature, science, and environmental education in Vermont and New Hampshire commun... Read more
  Our next stop is the Daniels House, built circa 1820 and home to MERCANTILE & Dover House Antiques.  It features a carefully curated selection of gifts, accessories, and home goods. Many made locally, and others produced from some o... Read more
In back of the Daniels House, is the Roger Wilson Memorial Ball Field.  Sit on the bleachers and enjoy the fresh air. You might even catch one of many pick-up family ball games.  Bring along your glove and have a catch!  The ball field i... Read more
Walking acrross the street is The Turner Interpretive Center, located across from the Grafton Inn. There you will read the story of escaped slave Alec Turner and his family as told by his daughter, renowned Vermont storyteller Daisy Turne... Read more
Directly across the street from the Turner Interpretive Center is the magnificent Grafton Inn and Phelps Barn . The Inn is the cornerstone of our quintessential village in rural Vermont.  In 1801, Mr. Enos Lovell, convinced that people we... Read more
As you walk up Main Street, you will pass the Chapel and Brick Meeting House. The church was built in 1839 by the Congregationalists at a cost of $4,000.  In 1972 the Congregational and Baptist churches united and formed the Federated Chu... Read more
One can walk into the Village Park at an entrance just above the Brick Church on Fire Pond Road or from a Chapman Meadow trail at the Nature Museum.  Parking, a kiosk with walking sticks to borrow, and a seasonal Porto-Potty are located se... Read more
Take a right after the Brick Meeting House and look left on Middletown Road to find the Village Cemetery, Grafton's first cemetery. One of six cemeteries in town, it has many Civil War graves located there. Sixteen year old Asa Fisher J... Read more
As you continue down the street, you'll find The Little Brick house, home to Lucy (Lou) Daniels, whose contributions to the suffrage movement included her refusal to pay taxes in 1911 without a vote in Grafton’s governance.   As a membe... Read more
Turning back down Main Street and located on the corner of Rt. 121 (Houghtonville Rd) is the Grafton Community Church. Noted for its exceptional acoustics, the church is often used for concerts and wedding ceremonies and many community even... Read more
Continuing down Main Street is the Town Hall, built in 1816 by John Barrett as a store. Dominating the local trade, the Barrett store boasted 862 customers, most of whom were buying for large families.  In 1857 his widow sold the building ... Read more
Located just across from the Town Hall is the Barrett House, built nearly 150 years ago by Captain John Barrett, grandfather of John Barrett of today. Stop to read the marker on the front lawn as you admire the window boxes. It looks now a... Read more
Just down the street from the Town Hall is the Stowell/Mead House, circa 1840, which now houses the Grafton Historical Society & Museum. The house is an interesting example of "plank" construction.  It was made simply by piling two-by-... Read more
Across the road a few paces down, you will see the Village Store, aka MKT, built in 1841 by George Barrett, nephew of Captain John.  In 1882, this store was home to Grafton's first telegraph line.  The store was purchased in 1963 by the W... Read more
Back across the street sits the Alexander/Davis house (1826) and Mildean house (1831), significant for their brick Federal-Greek Revival style. These adjacent two-and-one-half story houses were constructed for Peter Dean and Lucius Alexande... Read more
Continuing down the same side of the street you will see Grafton's second post office. The Old Post Office, a small red building, was built in 1855 by Fabius Bancroft as an insurance office and post offfice. It originally sat only a few fee... Read more
Just past the Old Post office is the Old Fire Station. It was built around 1830 as a village school. At various times it has been used as a tin shop, an undertaking establishment, and a Masonic Lodge Hall.  It became the town's first fire ... Read more
Across the street from the Old Firehouse is the Grafton Public Library.  This spacious and attractive house was built by John L. Butterfield, a soapstone magnate, and purchased by the Library Association in 1950.  It holds approximately 2... Read more
Turning right from the library, and located beside the Village Bridge, is Wilson Park, where a large 2-story building, originally built as a tenement for mill workers, and in 1892 becoming the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Factory sat. Upstai... Read more
Continuing down Kidder Hill Road, past the junction of Pleasant Street is the Kidder Hill Covered Bridge, only one of thirteen covered bridges between here and Bellows Falls to survive from 1869 to the present. A lightweight kingpost truss... Read more
Turning back, take a left onto Pleasant Street. As you pass near the pickleball and tennis courts, look at the many granite stone fence posts that have stood the test of time.  The posts denote age-old property lines where fences separated... Read more
Continuing up Pleasant Street you will see the Community Gardens, created in 1991 to showcase different types of New England plantings.  The garden is a wonderful spot to picnic, rest, or just enjoy a quiet moment.  Throughout the summer ... Read more
After a stroll through the Community Gardens, enter School Street and proceed to the Grafton Forge. The blacksmith's shop was operated by H.A. Farnsworth through the early 1900's. When automobiles outnumbered horses, Hank turned the shop... Read more
The Grafton Elementary School was built in 1988 on the same site as an earlier school built in 1867.  The school currently educates children in grades K-6. "Nine hundred and twenty-nine people lived in Grafton in 1880. Two years later the ... Read more
Sheep Barns and Rest Room: If you'd like to extend your walk, take the path  to the left beyond the school and head up to the Village Parking Lot. At the back left of the parking lot, take the path leading down the short hill. You will see... Read more
Grafton Village Cheese Company: Continuing on, the trail leads across a footbridge that spans the West Saxtons River and on toward the Grafton Village Cheese Company.  Step through the covered bridge and you'll come to the cheese company.... Read more
The Windham Foundation: From the Sheep Barns, the path leads back up the hill past the pond to The Windham Foundation. The foundation was established in 1963 by Dean Mathey, a successful investment banker and philanthropist from New Jersey,... Read more
Grafton Trails and Outdoor Center: Take a left before the covered bridge, you will find a trail that leads up a short hill. At the top of the hill be sure to turn around and look at the view of the town below. Continuing along the trail, yo... Read more

 

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