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.