The University of Vermont’s free, weekly historic tour of campus will extend into the fall season. The tours, which began in July, will take place every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon through October 13.
The tour begins at the statue of Ira Allen, just to the south of the fountain on the UVM Green. There is no tour on September 29.
UVM was founded in 1791, the fifth oldest university in New England, and it features an array of historic buildings, including more than a dozen on the National Register of Historic Places, and a host of fascinating personalities.
The architectural highlights of the tour include Old Mill, completed in 1829, whose cornerstone was laid by the Marquis de Lafayette; Billings Library, designed by leading 19th century architect H.H. Richardson in 1885, which has undergone a recent renovation; and Grasse Mount, a brick Federal style mansion built in 1804 by a local merchant, which later served as the residence of Vermont governor Cornelius P. Van Ness.
Tour guide Bill Averyt also brings to life the interesting personalities who’ve been a part of UVM’s long history.
Founder Ira Allen, for instance, was both a revolutionary war hero and sometimes slippery real estate speculator. UVM’s third president, James Marsh, influenced Emerson and other transcendentalists and made innovations leading to the modern university curriculum. Royall Tyler, a member of Vermont’s Supreme Court in the early 19th century, taught jurisprudence at the university and is said to be one of the models for the villain of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, Judge Pyncheon. And 1879 alumnus John Dewey, whose grave is on campus, is considered one of America’s greatest philosophers.
“UVM’s history is a great story to be sure, but it also resonates with significance,” said Averyt. “Through figures like Marsh and Dewey, the university played an important role in shaping modern America.”
Read more about the tour and register.
Source: UVM News