STRAFFORD — I’m embarrassed to say that, after seven years in the Upper Valley, I visited Justin Morrill Homestead in Strafford for the first time just last week.
If you haven’t been — particularly in the summer — you’re missing out.
Strafford resident Tracey McFadden, who last year took over as director of Friends of The Morrill Homestead, the nonprofit organization which supports the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation-owned six-acre site, was kind enough to give me a tour.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to work in my community and take my education in another direction,” said McFadden, who previously worked as a teacher and then camp director. “This is such an unknown treasure here.”
The homestead is open from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday-Sunday. Admission to the home is $6, but the gardens may be visited anytime for free. There are also annual events such as the Gallery in the Garden Gala which takes place from 4-6:30 p.m. on Friday and includes a silent auction for the “Minis for Morrill.” The 4×4-inch paintings are created by artists from the Upper Valley and beyond. Prior to becoming director, McFadden had attended many events at the homestead and the annual Apple and Cheese Festival is a favorite.
“It was a great event to go to when my kids were younger,” McFadden said. “It’s a great family event.”
Beginning in 1854, Strafford-born Morrill represented Vermont for more than four decades in the U.S. House of Representatives (12 years) and then the U.S. Senate (32 years). He is perhaps best known for the Land Grant College acts, which established agriculture, engineering and mechanic programs at universities across the United States, including at the University of Vermont and the University of New Hampshire. (Last year the homestead hosted an open house for people who attended any Land Grant college in the country.)
“This was a very positive, forward-thinking bill to be passing,” McFadden said. The first Land Grant Act was passed in 1862 and the second in 1890. “It was very optimistic for our future when a lot of people weren’t at that point.”
Morrill’s well-preserved home includes its original carpets (visitors must slip on booties before the tour begins) and the furniture is from both his Vermont home and the residence he kept while in Washington, D.C.
The home itself is “very different from anything else in the village,” McFadden said of the gothic revival home. One lovely detail is painted window screens which can only be seen from outside.
“Although he was in D.C. and thinking and working at a national level, this community meant so much to him,” McFadden said.
One of the loveliest parts of the homestead is its gardens, which were brimming with flowers when I visited. The Friends organization also continues to work on restoring the apple orchard. In his spare time, Morrill developed an interest in horticulture.
Last year, nearly 2,000 people visited the homestead, which is supported by more than 80 volunteers, McFadden said.
There is a charm to Strafford Village that I imagine is hard to find elsewhere.
“It’s amazing that the village really looks like in Morrill’s time 150 years ago,” McFadden remarked, adding that the newest building is the Morrill Memorial and Harris Library, which was built in 1929.
One difference from that time period?
“The hills are much more filled with trees,” McFadden said.
Editor’s note: For more information about Justin Morrill Homestead, visit morrillhomestead.org or call 802-765-4288. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
