The Grafton Village Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation; the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and the Grafton Historical Society, will hold a celebration to recognize this special honor at 1 pm on June 23 in front of the Grafton History Museum at 147 Main Street.
"The Grafton Village Historic District is one of the most well-preserved rural villages in Vermont, said Giovanna Peebles, State Historic Preservation officer and head of the division. This is a really great example of how historic preservation can be a benefit to our tourism industry.
After brief remarks by state officials and others, a short walking tour of Main Street will be led by Dick Desrochers, president of the Grafton Historical Society. Light refreshments will follow, and in case of rain, the event will take place in the Homestead Barn at the Old Tavern at Grafton.
Grafton represents the architecture and landscape of an intact nineteenth-century Vermont village, Peebles said, with the loss of few historic buildings and the intrusion of even fewer modern structures.
Eighty-eight of the ninety-four primary resources in the village contribute to its significance, and eighty-two of these eighty-eight historic resources date to the 1870s or earlier.
The National Register nomination noted that, The current vitality and intact state of the village are a result of tourism, preservation-minded residents - many of whose families have resided in Grafton for several generations - and the activities and dedication of the Grafton Historical Society and the Windham Foundation.
The National Register, created by Congress in 1966, is the nation's official list of historic cultural properties worthy of preservation. Eligibility is based on criteria that emphasize quality of design, workmanship, and historic association.
The program is run in Vermont by the Division for Historic Preservation. Over 12,000 buildings in Vermont are currently listed in the National Register.
National Register listing can bring benefits to old buildings and their owners. Owners of income-producing buildings may qualify for federal tax credits for substantial rehabilitation.
Buildings owned by non-profit groups and municipalities may be eligible for state historic preservation grants.
National Register designation does not impose requirements on building owners to preserve their properties. However, if owners are doing projects on historic buildings using federal or state funds, or requiring a state or federal permit or license, the projects usually must adhere to preservation standards.
The National Register nomination for the Grafton Village Historic District contains extensive information about the history and architecture of the village.
The nomination and other information about the National Register is available on the Division s website at www.historicvermont.org, under Historic Registers.
Source: David Mace 6.18.2010