State Capitols – Montpelier, Vermont

Vermont Capitol in Montpelier

Constructed: 1857-1859

Architects: Ammi B. Young & Thomas W. Silloway

State Admitted to Union: March 4, 1791 (14^th)

State Population [2010]: 625,741 (49^th)

As noted earlier, each state house presentation will be made in the order they were visited.  On the same day I saw the capitol in Concord, NH (October 1, 2004), I was able to get to Montpelier, Vermont.  Clearly, one convenient thing about New England is the cozy size of the states.  Since neither capitol was fully explored and I was shooting slide film at the time, they were not ‘officially’ listed as complete until I returned with the digital camera and got inside.  That happened here on October 6 and 7, 2009.

On both visits to the area, I stayed with Mark Furnari, a Bronx buddy and fellow CCNY alum.  He was the Best Man at my first wedding and I’m always happy to spend time with him and delighted that he invites me to stay when I’m in the area.  In 2004, I was there after visiting Calvin Coolidge (# 31) and Montpelier is only 37 miles from his home in Burlington.  In 2009, I was inside the capitol twice, before and after we visited.

Statue of Ethan Allen, Vermont Capitol in Montpelier (6 October 2009)

With less than 8,000 inhabitants, Montpelier is the smallest state capital…a nice, little town just off I-89 on the Winooski River.  The state has an interesting history.  First claimed by France, the land was lost to the British after the French and Indian War in 1763.  For fourteen years, it was an independent republic before joining the union.  Vermont’s was the first written constitution in North America to provide for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for men who did not own land, and public schools.

Governor’s Reception Room (6 October 2009)

Also known as the Cedar Creek Room because of the 10x20 foot 
painting  that depicts the Vermont Brigade’s pivotal role in the
Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, 19 October 1864

When I arrived at the capitol, I noticed a tour bus pull up.  I prefer having these places to myself and worried that tourist would get in the way of my photo noodling.  Inside the main entrance was today’s volunteer tour guide, Dan, a retired teacher.  He invited the people wandering about to take a tour of the building but, to my surprise, no one responded.  They seemed content to sit or visit the gift shop and generally ignore his offer.   I had Dan to myself for the rest of the visit.

Vermont Representatives Hall (6 October 2009)

As capitols go, this one is quite compact.  Curving stairs go up to the second floor where the Governor’s office, reception room and Senate and House chambers are located.  While the chambers have small galleries, I was not permitted to go there and shoot the floors from above.  The House is another outsized, New England blitz of democracy with 150 representatives for a state with the second fewest residents in the union.  I was unable to see the Senate chamber until the following day.  The oval space allows the 30 senators to face the rostrum and each other.

Vermont Senate (7 October 2009)

I very much enjoyed walking through the place with Dan.  He seemed new to his docent job and I helped him locate some of the things he mentioned on the tour.  Nonetheless, he was friendly and considerate of this tourist.  He allowed me to lie on the House floor so I could get a shot of the great chandelier from below.  When I told him I was on this grand road trip to visit and photograph all the capitols in New England, he said he wished he could do that.  But he raised four children and seemed resigned to becoming very familiar with his one state house rather than see them all.  He said I was lucky to be able to do that.  I have to agree.

State Capitols – Concord, New Hampshire

New Hampshire Capitol in Concord

Constructed: 1816-1819

Architect: Stuart James Park

State Admitted to Union: June 21, 1788 (9^th)

State Population [2010]: 1,316,470 (42^nd)

On September 2, I introduced the State Capitol Odyssey, my quest to visit and photograph all fifty American state houses.  As with most of my interests and ideas, this has been done before.  There is a terrific book by Susan Thrane and Tom Patterson – State Houses: America’s 50 State Capitol Buildings.  It presents informative essays and terrific, existing light photographs of every one.  I guess I will just stick with my blogging tales.

Given that my state house collection is incomplete, there are fewer ways to order their appearance here.  Since memories fade and notes are harder to locate, I will present them in the order in which they were visited…before I forget more.

Another thing…before we go any further, let’s straighten out the two related, same-sounding words.  Capitol – a building where the legislature meets.  Capital – the city where the government is located.

New Hampshire Senate (7 October 2009)

Four photos were taken from the Senate gallery and pasted together

In September of 2004, I was still a working stiff.  One of the best parts of my job in the electric utility environmental business was meeting with colleagues and experts in the field.  A good part of any success I had was due to the knowledge I gained in their company.  The meeting was in Massachusetts.  I drove there so I could take the weekend to chase down presidents’ graves and visit people. 

After spending the night in Concord with nephew and law student Justin Ripley and before paying my respects to Franklin Pierce (# 14), I wandered around the grounds of the capitol.  Since that was just a cursory, exterior visit and didn’t count until I explored the inside spaces, I returned in October 2009, on a wonderful road trip through the New England autumn…when nine more capitols were collected.

Hall of Flags, New Hampshire Capitol in Concord (7 October 2009)

New Hampshire was one of our original thirteen colonies and the capitol was built when people still remembered the revolution.  The granite to build it was quarried nearby [it is The Granite State, after all] and shaped into blocks by State Prison inmates.  Even though the capitol was enlarged through the years, the legislatures did not change.  Thus, they can boast the following…engraved near the entrance:

New Hampshire Capitol, Concord (7 October 2009)

The wonderful, quirky thing about this capitol and the state government is the House of Representatives.  The Senate is very modest chamber.  Nothing is secured to the floor.  Take away the murals and it’s the space where the PTA might meet there one day and square dance club will be there the next.

New Hampshire Senate as viewed from the public gallery (7 October 2009)

On the other hand, the House is something to behold.  With 400 members, it is the largest state legislative body…in the state with the 42^nd largest population.  That’s one representative for every 3300 citizens…and they earn a whopping $200 for every two-year term they serve.  This volunteer legislature is clearly not in it for the money.  With no desks, this auditorium chamber provides each representative with a seat and a set of buttons to cast votes. 

New Hampshire House of Representatives, Concord (7 October 2009)

I hope you enjoy these introductions to our state houses.  I want to do more of them sooner so they can become the core of a photo book…not the serious, published kind but the kind any of us can do using one of the internet-based businesses out there.  More on that in the next post.