The Parsonage at Grafton, Vermont
Located in the heart of Grafton Village, the Parsonage is a handsome c. 1800
antique colonial, professionally re-designed to capture the essence of a period
home while providing comfortable modern amenities. Featuring completely
renovated and redecorated living spaces, kitchen and powder room on the
first floor, and 4 spacious bedrooms with 2 baths on the second floor,
the Parsonage easily emphasizes its heritage as both a classic New England
village home and an historic sanctuary from the cares of ordinary life.
The family kitchen with cherry cabinetry and soapstone countertops encompasses a large family dining area and opens onto the adjacent fireplaced sitting room.
The formal living room and classic decor throughout
share the ambience of the Grafton Inn next door!
Just relax!
Please navigate to the "Contact Us" page for more information!
The Parsonage at Grafton, Vermont
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The Parsonage at Grafton, Vermont
A brief history
Founded in 1763 and settled in a picturesque valley on the banks of the Saxton’s River, Grafton was a thriving village on the post road between Boston and Albany. By 1830, Grafton was also a bustling commercial center, home to many farms, sawmills, tanneries, gristmills, sheep farms, woolen mills, and one of the nation’s largest soapstone quarries.
The Parsonage was built circa 1800, about the same time that the Grafton Inn opened in the prosperous center of the town. The Tavern hosted such prominent guests as Daniel Webster, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rudyard Kipling, testimony to the notoriety of Grafton in the nineteenth century.
In 1845, the Parsonage was given to the Baptist Church, currently known as the “White Church,” as a residence for their ministers. The house belonged to the Church across the street until 1998, when the combined Congregational and Baptist congregations sold the Parsonage to the present owners.
More than two hundred years after it was built, the Parsonage is once again a private residence, and having undergone a complete renovation, takes its place among the pristine collection of restored homes that comprise Grafton’s historic and often-photographed Main Street.
The Village of Grafton, Vermont
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"36 Hours in Grafton"
From the New York Times 1.26.03
By SUSAN DIESENHOUSE
ON a snowy day in Grafton, fires are stoked and soft chairs beckon in a cozy country inn. Nearby, snow enthusiasts strap on snowshoes and cross-country skis. On Main Street, women in pleated wool slacks and men in heavy boots quickly drop their taciturn veneer for a visitor who asks a question or starts a friendly conversation.
Grafton is a town of 600, smaller than it was in a long-ago heyday of mills, quarries and sheep farms. But largely thanks to the Windham Foundation, which is based in Grafton and has preserved dozens of its lovely old buildings, the town, set in an alpine valley, still looks like a Currier & Ives print. On a leisurely weekend, it is a pleasant place for discovering winter's quiet side.
Friday 5 p.m.
1) A Walk at Dusk
In the remaining sliver of daylight, amble through town to get oriented. From Grafton's major intersection, Main Street and Townshend Road, turn west onto Main and walk one long block to a fork in the road. Bear left onto Hinkley Brook Road to find the well-marked Village Park, 50 acres of trails and thick groves of hemlock, birch and beech. Sit for a spell on the bench near the entrance or at a picnic table at the top of the hill to gaze at the first stars, listen to the
night sounds and unwind.
Friday, 7 p.m.
2) Feast at the Tavern [now The Grafton Inn}
In 1867 Ulysses S. Grant, on a New England trip before he ran for president, stayed at the Old Tavern at Grafton (92 Main Street, 800-843-1801), and it was already an old tavern then.
It has been in continuous operation since 1801 as an inn and dining place, catering at first to passengers traveling by stagecoach between Boston and Montreal. Show up early to explore the dining room, pub and sitting rooms, and admire the antique furniture. Find a spot near a fireplace to enjoy a cocktail and conversation or read a newspaper... After dinner, the attached pub is the place for a hot toddy and some
live fiddle or piano music. If asked to sing, just shout out. Guests aren't required to carry a tune.
