Morrill Homestead Celebration
Opens New Education Building
By John Freitag

It was picture perfect weather last Saturday, June 30 for the opening celebration of the new Education Building at the Morrill Homestead.

A good crowd turned out to join the Friends of the Morrill Homestead, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. Morrill family interpreters, invited guests and local citizens. 

Speakers included Gov. Jim Douglas, who credited Morrill with opening up higher education to working people and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who spoke passionately about the need to complete Morrill's vision by making higher education accessible and affordable to all with the desire and talent to make use of this resource.

Andersen Thorp, President of the Friends of the Morrill Homestead, spoke about the important role the Strafford community has played in both initially purchasing the homestead for the public and later efforts to both preserve and interpret the site. Mention was made more than once of the most recent gift of $10,000 given by Strafford resident Ken Alton, for improvement and restoration of the stone walks throughout the grounds. John Dumville, Historic Sites Operations Chief, expressed appreciation to the community and added his hope that the new building will also be useful to the town for local events and make the site much more a part of the Strafford community.

The Education Building’s focus is to honor the legacy of Sen. Morrill, who is most remembered today as the chief author and sponsor the Land Grant College Acts considered by many to be the most important pieces of educational legislation in the 19^th century. The Land Grant Acts created funding in each state for a college to provide a liberal and practical education for farmers, mechanics, artisan and laborer.

The Homestead was designated Vermont's first Nation Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1960. Designed and built by Morrill during a brief retirement before starting on a new career in politics, the 17-room cottage incorporates much of the stone-like detail, actually rendered in wood, that is the hallmark of Gothic Revival style. Morrill borrowed and adapted the forms and details of the Gothic Revival to suit his own particular needs and vision.

The Education Building is a near-exact replica of the horse barn designed by Morrill himself. The building stands in the original place in Morrill’s landscape design, and its reconstruction will restore this design concept.

Funding for this building is from a Transportation Enhancement Grant, and the State of Vermont, which owns the site. The Friends group has raised the money to provide for the furniture and office equipment needed to make the building useful and practical.

The Friends of the Morrill Homestead have great plans and dreams for the future and the new building is the next step in making these dreams come true.

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