EAST MIDDLEBURY 1ST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY
East Middlebury has not been surveyed before and it is not been studied extensively by any Middlebury historian. However, early in Middlebury’s development it was a definite center of activity. Jonathan Foot, who thought the area to be a prime spot for industry to prosper, begin the development and promotion of the area in 1790. The geographical orientation of the Village was excellent because it was the first Low land to be found on the west side of the mountains, and the mountain pass emptied into this valley. The falls on the Middlebury River, at the foot of the mountain, were also assessable for providing power to the Village and its mills. Jonathan foot also appears responsible for setting up the area as an independent and self-sufficient community by encouraging the establishment of basic common needs. By 1812, a general store, an office, and a mill, providing employment, had been established. In 1810, Foot had also built a “place of entertainment” that also served as a stagecoach stop for traffic coming over the mountain pass. In 1812, Epaphras Jones, who had established the Vermont Glass Factory Company in the Lake Dunmore area, built another factory in East Middlebury. The building was a circular brick construction located just west of entertainment house. The building is no longer standing. Jones’ development in the area appears to be strongly encouraged by Foot who was still promoting development of the area. By 1821, the community had 10 dwelling houses, an Inn, and a few shops. Grow steadily continued for thirty years, until 1850, when there were 50 dwelling houses in the Village proper. Today there are more than 65 houses in the Village proper, with little room for further expansion. Hence, the majority of the dwellings found in East Middlebury were built before 1850. Although most of the houses show signs of being built in a postcolonial style, few have survived without Classic-Revival updating. Many have been added-on-to so extensively that the original framing is almost undetectable. Thomas Lynch’s home, directly across from the Waybury Inn, is a prime example of this. Classic Revival detailing, even if it be in its most barbaric or rudimentary form, doesn't appear to hit the Middlebury area most heavily in its out-lying districts, such as East Middlebury. Of the buildings that I surveyed, three appear the most valuable to the Middlebury area for their historic significance. They are the Waybury Inn, St. Steven’s Episcopal Rectory, and Miss Mary Bell's Zahn’s home. The Waybury Inn, which was the original stagecoach stop and house of entertainment built by Jonathan Foot in 1810, remains with visible signs of its original construction. The exterior of the original section appears to have undergone a little change with the exception of an added front porch, and enclosed side port, a bay window, and a Classic-Revival frame for a side doorway. The. interiors undergone more thorough change to accommodate its present use as a restaurant and Inn. However, original construction is given away in the basement, which has not been updated at all. It is the general consensus of the community that the Rector is the oldest dwelling house in the community. If this be so, and the building’s location does not contradict the theory, it may be the original house built by Jonathan Foot, originally for himself and later for the keeper of the mill which stood on the adjacent land. Fortunately, this house has been kept up exceptionally well. Unfortunately, it has been updated in accordance with the styles of the times, and the changes have been the work of perfection. As a result, of the specifics of the changes are difficult to detect. Miss Mary Bell Zahn’s house appears to be the original house built by Epaphras jones, who had his glass factory just east of the dwelling. Another connection is that the glass factory was the first brick building in the area and the remains of a brick factory can still be seen on Miss Zahn's property. This also appears as one of the few houses that escaped Classic Revival detailing. If all assumptions are correct, these two dwelling houses would stand as examples of the original architecture in the area as well as having 2 state significant due to their connection with Jonathan Foot. The Waybury Inn is perhaps of national significance as one of the earliest formal stagecoach stops and state significance as perhaps the first stagecoach stop this side of the mountains. Source, BFP, 1981