Josh Compo

 The town of Weathersfield is located just north of Springfield and borders the Connecticut river. The town was chartered in at this time the town was part of New Hampshire. The town was named after a town in Connecticut where most of the residents were from. There was a post office built in 1830 in the village of Ascutney. The town had several villages including Ascutney, Perkinsville, and Amsden. A few historical facts include war related people. There was a resident in the town that fought in the battle of Bunker Hill. Weathersfield also had the highest proportion of people to fight in the civil war from any northern town. 136 men fought in this war. In the first census taken there were 1194 residents.  Today there arte approximately 3,000 residents in the town of 44 square miles. There are two fire departments that serve this area. Interstate 91 runs through the town. The town serves as easy access to skiing, the upper valley, and is close to several hospitals.

 The Weathersfield school was built in it is one of the newest buildings in town. The town formerly had two schools. One was elementary and the other was a middle school. With the town growing it was decided to make one larger school. The new school was built and used part of the former middle school. There are about 300 students in the current school.  The building was designed by D.E.W. which is located in northern Vermont. The building will also serve the town as an emergency shelter and meeting place. The school is a modern large scale building. Unlike many schools this one has a pitched roof. The building was designed primarily for function and not for extravagance. The building is located on route 5 just north of the intersection with routes 5 and 131. The school also

The exterior includes a decorative working bell in the center and granite around the main entrance. The decorative grate behind the bell actually functions as air exchange. There is also a paved roadway and sidewalks around the whole building.

This gym is a huge deal to the town. Prior to this building students were forced to travel to neighboring towns to play basketball. The former schools did not have a full size gym. The stage is also a benefit for performances that occur several times during the year.

This shows some interior detail that was taken to make the building look better. The hand rail trim breaks up the wall and makes things appear better. The tile floor is broken up into 2 colors and everything is uniform showing care to detail.

This shows how modern buildings are built. These plates are pushed into the wood and hold it together. It is a cheaper way to construct a building where people wont see it. I was given a special tour in order to see this construction.

I took a picture of this because the town was excited about having it. This is a wood chip furnace. It is fed by a conveyor belt and it is completely automatic. It is relatively new technology and the town was excited to have this in the new building. That makes it relevant to the design and importance to the school

 The bow Baptist church serves as one of 5 churches in the town. This church is one of the oldest and has the most design involved. The church was built in 1837 and the architect is unknown. There are no records of who built or designed it. This church functions as a place of worship for several communities.  The church is located on route 5 south of Ascutney and near Springfield. It also serves as a possible emergency shelter for residents nearby. The church is also a historical site for the town as one of the early buildings. The church is more than a place of worship though, it also has a youth group and offers services to the community in the way of service.  I asked to take interior pictures and it was desired that I didn’t. However, I did take a tour and can explain things. The church was remodeled inside around 30 years ago. There is some fancy woodwork inside but other than that the interior is not designed to be somewhat plain. Most of the detail in appearance was on the outside of the building. The following pictures show some things that were liked in the time period.

This picture encompasses the entire front of the building. This shows some design related to appearance. Some of these design features will be discussed in other photos but this picture does show some interesting things. When looking at the whole building everything flows together. When looking at details the whole building is full of details. Everything from the extensive stonework to the windows that form a triangle. This building was built with a lot of concern for appearance.

The steeple on the church shows a vast amount of shapes and detail. This picture shows the detail of the wood work. Around the shutter that has an archway in it is a surrounding trim. On the corners are decorative archways in the trim that match the shutters.

This picture shows some detail from the shutters that are on the front of the building. This archway is the same design as on the steeple but larger. Also on this arch is granite around the top connecting it to the stonework of the church.

This picture shows the year the building was built and again it shows detail regarding the stone and wood work. On the corners of the door trim is decorative molding as well as granite headers. This close up picture shows the detail in the stone work and the beauty it has.

This picture shows one side of the building. The qualities on this side are much like the rest. The archways above the window and granite incorporated into the stone work. This also shows the single color stained glass that is throughout the church. This building has a lot of detail and is a historical marker for the town.

 This building was designed by a resident of Weathersfield. It was built in this serves as the fire dept. for half of the town. This building also serves as an emergency shelter and meeting place. Several small groups in the town meet here and use the building for those purposes. This building is unique because a local person designed it for a volunteer force that in turn serves the town.  The building is located 200 yards from the exit ramp of the interstate. It sits in the center of town and is viewed by thousands every day. This structure is built to reflect the members. There is green trim and roofing which reflects the greenery in Vermont.  This building is a building of fundraising all summer and full of community values. There are constantly people there preparing for emergencies in the community. The building and its members reflect the town and the teamwork that exists.

This photo shows the front of the building. This building has very little effort to make its appearance stand out. The hydrants on both sides and flower barrels try to break up the building and make its appearance better.

This is the siren tower. It houses a siren that activates when the department receives a call. This housing is the most decorative item on the exterior of the building. The firefighter on top is a symbol of the department.

This picture was chosen because it relates to the history. The picture of the mountain has been a symbol of this department since it was formed. It has been painted and this shows the tradition that exists within the town.

This room is where the members meet and train as well as the place where other groups from the town meet. There is little as far as fancy design. However, history is remembered with photos on the walls.

This is just a picture of the opposite side of the room from the other picture. It shows the basic kitchen but again has little architectural design as with older buildings.

 This next building was built in the 1850’s. the exact year and architect are unknown. It is one of the older homes in the town. this building has substantial design with regard to appearance. This home was built on what became a small farm and the farm does not exist today. This structure at one time was also a residence of a mill worker. There was a mill 75 feet from the house that was powered from a large brook directly next to it. The mill also is no longer standing.  The structure is located on Route 131 a few miles from the interstate. this building does not have a lot of relevance to the town. It is an interesting building due to the history of it and the length of time it has been around. The details that are in the following pictures show the detail and care that was taken in buildings from this time.

This picture shows the front side of the house which is attached to a barn. The barn is shown in the left side of the picture and starts at the end of the porch. Although the house is not in very good shape the design is still here.

This picture is a picture of the side entrance to the building. This also has a small roof over it. Some features include the arched doors and large hinges. The decorative trim above the door and the roof trim also are decorative parts that show the time and the amount of detail used in design.

This picture is just a close up of the roof support. Rather than having a support that is strictly a support there is design involved. The support is made from one piece of wood which makes it even more attractive. The fancy design makes the viewer think that it isn’t a support.

This shows a window that was placed in the attic. This window has five sides making it unique. Again there is decorative trim around the window. The window just adds to the overall design.

This home also had an arch on the inside. This archway divides the dining room from the living room. This also has the trim around it. Although the house needs to be restored there is nice design features that are seen.

This shows the banister on the stairs. I like this picture because it is rare to see this kind of detail on a railing. It is interesting to see this amount of detail in wood work.

This picture simply shows the inside of the arched entry on the side of the building. The idea is similar. The arched doors are unique and rare.

  Weathersfield historical society