East Poultney School House (1896)
Built in 1896 in Queen Anne style, this school represents an exaggerated nostalgia for British architecture. During the late 1800s, architects returned to New England to study its classic Georgian buildings. At the same time, new technologies allowed architects to use ornate colors and to use geometric patterns, made possible in part by the introduction of machine lathes.
How We Are Preserving the History of Poultney Vt
The Poultney Historical Society was founded in 1935 and over the years has acquired three historic buildings in East Poultney. Volunteers have received and collected artifacts of local, regional and statewide interest during this time period.
Melodeon Factory
The Melodeon Factory on the East Poultney Green is one of the oldest buildings in Poultney and is one of the only remaining buildings representative of Poultney’s early industrial era. Built in 1810 as a blacksmith shop, the second floor was added in 1852 to create the Melodeon Factory, which flourished during the middle of the 19th century as the largest manufacturer of melodeons outside Boston or New York (See Melodeon Making in East Poultney, Vermont). Since 1954, it has served as a museum for the Poultney Historical Society to display and interpret artifacts.
Union Academy
The Union Academy may well be the oldest surviving schoolhouse in Rutland County, and the second oldest in the State. The Union Academy was constructed in 1791 and named to commemorate the year Vermont became a member of the Union as the 14th state.