Gilbert's Hill
Gilbert's Hill | |
43°38′50″N 72°32′21″W / 43.64722°N 72.53917°W / 43.64722; -72.53917 | |
Area | 112 acres (45 ha) |
---|---|
Built | c. 1854 (1854); 1934 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival; ski area |
NRHP reference No. | 100003524[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 18, 2019 |
Gilbert's Hill, also known more recently as the Appel Farm, is a historic farm property and former ski area at 1362 Barnard Road (Vermont Route 12) in Woodstock, Vermont. Developed as a farm in the mid 19th century, it was developed as a downhill ski area in the early 20th century, and is the location of the first rope tow in the northeastern United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.[1] The property is privately owned, but is open to the public via conservation and historic preservation easements.
Description and history
Gilbert's Hill is located in a rural setting about two miles northwest of the village center of Woodstock, on the north side of Barnard Road a short way east of its junction with Gully Road. The property is 112 acres (45 ha) in size, much of which is open meadow, with the balance wooded. A cluster of farm buildings is set at a distance from the roadway (which in an earlier alignment passed directly through it). The oldest building is the farmhouse, a wood-frame structure with Greek Revival and Gothic Revival features which was built about 1854. There are two barns and a milk house, all dating to the 19th century, and there is a ski hut at the base of the hillside behind the farm yard. The hut was built about 1936, and is a modest frame structure finished with novelty siding and a metal roof.[2]
The property was first developed as a diversified farm in the 1840s by members of the McKenzie family, and its collection of 19th-century farm buildings is one of the best preserved of its age in the region. After undergoing several ownership changes, it was purchased by Clinton and Persis Gilbert in 1929, who operated it largely as a dairy farm. By this time, Woodstock had already begun to develop a reputation as a destination for winter outdoor activities. The owners of the Woodstock Inn were instrumental in the development of a rope tow, powered by the motor of a Ford Model T truck, and paid the Gilberts for permission to install it on their hillside in 1934. The innovation made it possible for skiers to quickly ascend the hill, and to enjoy many more downhill runs than were previously possible. The hill was used as a ski area until 1965, and there is now a historical marker near the site.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Draft NRHP nomination for Gilbert's Hill" (PDF). State of Vermont. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
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Historic
Landmarks
- Calvin Coolidge Homestead District
- George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home
- Robbins and Lawrence Armory and Machine Shop
- Stellafane Observatory
- Advent Camp Meeting Grounds Historic District
- Ascutney Mill Dam Historic District
- Ascutney State Park
- Bethel Village Historic District
- Theron Boyd Homestead
- Brigham Hill Historic District
- Brook Farm
- Chester Village Historic District
- Christian Street Rural Historic District
- Coolidge State Park
- Fletcher–Fullerton Farm
- Goodrich Four Corners Historic District
- Hartford Village Historic District
- Jericho Rural Historic District
- King Farm
- Ludlow Village Historic District
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
- Gen. Lewis R. Morris House
- Norwich Mid-Century Modern Historic District
- Norwich Village Historic District
- Parker Hill Rural Historic District ‡
- Plymouth Historic District
- Quechee Historic Mill District
- Isaac M. Raymond Farm
- Saddlebow Farm
- Slayton–Morgan Historic District
- South Royalton Historic District
- South Woodstock Village Historic District
- Southview Housing Historic District
- Springfield Downtown Historic District
- Stockbridge Common Historic District
- Stone Village Historic District
- Taftsville Historic District
- Terraces Historic District
- Weathersfield Center Historic District
- West Hartford Village Historic District
- Weston Village Historic District
- White River Junction Historic District
- Wilder Village Historic District
- Wilgus State Park
- Windsor Village Historic District
- Woodstock Village Historic District
- Gilbert's Hill
- Historic Crown Point Road
- Best's Covered Bridge
- Bowers Covered Bridge
- Bridge 15
- Bridgewater Corners Bridge
- Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge‡
- Gilead Brook Bridge
- Gould's Mill Bridge
- Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road
- Kendron Brook Bridge
- Lincoln Covered Bridge
- Martin's Mill Covered Bridge
- Ottauquechee River Bridge
- Quechee Gorge Bridge
- Spaulding Bridge
- Stockbridge Four Corners Bridge
- Taftsville Covered Bridge
- Upper Falls Covered Bridge
- West Hartford Bridge
- West Woodstock Bridge
- Willard Covered Bridge
- Woodstock Warren Through Truss Bridge