Welcome to Waterbury's

Historic Walking Tour


Page 2

This symbol designates that a granite plaque appears on this building or area. The plaque indicates the original name, date of construction and historic Waterbury logo.

The WILLIAM WELLS HOUSE, 73 South Main Street, is now the Gateway Motel. This Greek Revival style house, built around 1850, was home to a Civil War general. It stands as a symbol of strength, built to last. The original 2-1/2-story structure of running bond brick on a massive stone foundation is relatively intact. The gable shows a triangular brick area framed by headers. The three-bay front door has an elaborate frame of fluted columns above which is an eight-paned transom. The windows have granite lintels and sills.
The CARPENTER HOUSE, 60 South Main Street, is a fine example of early Federal style. It was built around 1816 as the home of Dan Carpenter, Waterbury's first lawyer. Carpenter built his first house about 1805 which is said to be the ell of the existing house. The 2-1/2-story, five bay house, has a shallow pitched roof. The front entry is topped by a semicircular fanlight with an elaborate surround of two pairs of broad fluted pilasters, each pair enclosing double-hung six over six sidelights. The interior was converted to office space in 1995, but the exterior is maintained in its original 1816 style.
Bank Hill

As you proceed up to North Main Street, you will enter the main business area of the village. Commercial buildings on the right side of the street were built in the late 19th century. Over the years they have housed banks, millinery shops, grocery stores, clothing and shoe stores, pool rooms and public baths (25 cents a tub.) The buildings on the left side of the street are recent, as the older buildings on this side were destroyed by fire. Bank Hill is a much gentler hill today than it was in early days, when there were steps near the top of the hill to aid ascent. Until the 1950s, a tower-like structure, called the dummy policeman, stood in the middle of the Stowe and Main Street intersection to serve as a traffic stop sign.
Stowe Street Business Area
8. On the corner of Stowe and Main Streets is the OLD CORNER STORE, where locals gathered for the latest news and for political debate. The earliest of the remaining business buildings, it was built in 1833. The Stowe Street bay has two entrances, one with steps to reach the entrance. The Main Street side has housed a variety of businesses over the years.
9. ONE SOUTH MAIN STREET is currently The Thirsty Turtle. The building was one of the earliest business structures in town, built in 1834. It is a larger fraternal twin to 2 North Main Street. This Federal/Greek Revival, five bay building shows early window features on the second and third floors. The top gable treatment differs from that of 2 North Main. In the 1860s it contained the first Masonic Hall. In later years, Smith and Somerville's Hardware provided the town with a variety of materials.
10. TWO NORTH MAIN STREET, a Federal/Greek Revival style building constructed in 1834, is a 2-1/2 story gable front structure of common bond brick with a header every ten rows. Granite was used for door and window jambs and divides the storefront into five bays. Four stone steps give access at the entrances. Note the unusual recessed gable. For a major portion of its existence, this building was a drug store.
11. Turning to face Stowe Street on the left side of the street stands the STIMSON & GRAVES BUILDING built in 1875. Previously known as the Knights of Columbus Building, it was totally renovated in the 1990s. This three-and-a-half story, thirteen-bay Italianate structure originally housed Richardson and Fullerton Dry Goods, the Post Office, a stationery store, and a hardware store. Over the years, a host of businesses were located here. The most interesting was Nap Deguise's Beauty Shop; originally a barber shop where Nap and Jenny Deguise barbered while a pool room operated in the back. Nap was an unschooled but excellent oil painter, carver of folk art figures, and writer of poetry. He was known to issue passports allowing out-of-state friends to enter the state of Vermont.
12. Next is the American Legion Hall, on the site of the old WATERBURY OPERA HOUSE. At one time it housed the first theater showing talking movies. The original building built about 1890 burned on December 27, 1985.
13. Just before the railroad bridge, known locally as THE DRY BRIDGE, is a small commercial building which was built as a church.
14. Continue the tour over the Dry Bridge. At the corner of High Street, on the right, is a trio of connected brick buildings comprising THATCHER BROOK PRIMARY SCHOOL. Previously these buildings housed Waterbury High School (until 1966) and Waterbury Elementary School (until 1997). The central structure was built in 1898 of running bond brick with hip roof. Originally there were two towers. Note the entrance, recessed into a wide semicircular arch topped by a large fanlight. The section to the left was built in 1912 to resemble the 1898 portion, enriched with denticulate brickwork at the roof line. The third (right-hand) section, added in 1936, is narrower but similar to the earlier parts. This complex is an outstanding example of public school buildings in the late 19th to early 20th century.
Walk back toward Main Street staying on the same side of the street.

Waterbury's Historic Walking Tour
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CV Chamber / P.O. Box 336 / Barre, Vermont 05641
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