President Harry Truman once said “The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.” Because the site around Twilight Hall and the Middlebury Municipal Building has recently been a topic of community conversation, we thought people might be interested in these photos from the Middlebury College Archives. For more information on the history of the site and adjacent buildings, see pages 11 and 12 of A Walking History of Middlebury.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and see more detail.
View of Middlebury from Old Chapel in 1867. Notice the building site of the Academy (now Twilight Hall) that replaced the previous wooden structure.
Academy Building in 1893, seen from the east end of the park between College St. and Main St.
Graded School in 1900 seen from College St. just east of Weybridge St.
The Graded School in 1900 seen from the corner of Main St. and Cross St.
I really like the white picket fence around the College Street Park. Has anyone considered rebuilding that?
Jeff, we don’t know if anyone has plans to restore fences, but we agree that the fence looks great. Picket fences to enclose parks and private property were much more common in the 19th century because they were needed to keep livestock and domestic animals in and/or out.
Cannot wait to have this open view of Twilight Hall back!