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Merchants Bank Donates Building to the Fund for North Bennington and the Preservation Trust

2013 State Historic Preservation & Downtown Conference: Friday June 7, Barre, VT

It's not just a museum, it's part of
Vermont's legacy.

I want to take a moment to share exciting news from the Preservation Trust of Vermont!

At the end of 2012, we were able to take the first significant steps to keep the Vermont Marble Museum open and operating in Proctor, Vermont. This includes the acquisition of the museum displays, incuding the rare glass negative collection, and the gift shop. Our next steps are to raise funds for the acquisition and rehabilitation of the building and to find a new non-profit owner and operator for the museum.
Click here to read the whole story.

Why do we care so much about the Vermont Marble Museum?

The Vermont Marble Company had an enormous impact on the built environment of our nation. Largely quarried or carved locally, marble from The Vermont Marble Company was used in the Jefferson Memorial, the US Supreme Court Building, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as hundreds of other monuments and memorials all over the world. The museum and archives hold the stories of these projects and the marble industry.

Keeping these resources in Proctor ensures that the story of this community and its people will remain local, and alive. The Vermont Marble Museum is located in Proctor, Vermont's only "company town." Founded in the late 19th century, the town was established and grew hand-in-hand with the Vermont Marble Company. For the people of Proctor today -- many descendents of the Italian, Swedish, Polish, German, Hungarian and other immigrants brought in to work in the factory -- this museum is their history.

Acting now will keep the Marble Museum a part of Vermont's future. The Preservation Trust of Vermont's goal is to acquire the museum building, transfer ownership to a non-profit organization and create a publicly owned asset. This will protect the museum collection from future risk and ensure that it will not be sold piecemeal to collectors around the world.

While we still have a long way to go, we are very grateful to all of our supporters who helped us to get to where we are today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Paul Bruhn
Executive Director

P.S. We are continuing to accept donations to support the Vermont Marble Museum. Click here to make a donation now!

Photos of the Marble Industry

Visit the Vermont Marble Museum for more photos and information about the Vermont Marble Company.

Who We Are

The Preservation Trust of Vermont is a statewide non-profit organization founded in 1980 whose mission is to help communities save and use historic places. Much of our focus is on strengthening downtowns, village centers, local initiatives and capacity.

What We Do

• Support local preservation efforts through our Field Service Program (253 projects in 2012)
• Provide project development or technical assistance grants through the Robert Sincerbeaux Fund (47 in 2012)
• Provide conditions assessment grants through the Barn Assessment Grant Program (6 in 2012)
• Provide support for at-risk properties through our Historic Places Revolving Fund (11 in 2012)
• Provide grants and technical support through our Irene Flood Relief Work (52 in 2012)
• Provide major grants for preservation-related projects as funds are available (continued work on eight Village Revitalization Grants in partnership with Senator Patrick Leahy in 2012, 13 new Preservation Grants in partnership with the Freeman Foundation in 2012)
• Work with partners around the state to pass legislation and be an advocate to strengthen Vermont’s Downtowns and Village Centers (37 communities in 2012)
• Work with communities to oppose Sprawl and encourage the proper scale and location of Big Box development in our downtowns (10 in 2012)
• Encourage and help develop Community Supported Enterprises in Vermont such as village stores, cooperatives, restaurants and community-centered businesses (16 in 2012)
• Steward historically significant properties through our Historic Preservation Easement Program (81 in 2012)

• 

  The Grand Isle Lake House, Grand Isle Vermont.
  The Lake House is owned by the Preservation Trust of Vermont
  and operated as a special events facility.
  

  Host two-day preservation retreats from May through October at the Grand Isle Lake House (108 individuals from 73 community groups)
• Offer specialized training throughout the state as needed
• Co-host an annual historic preservation conference
• Own and steward two historic properties, the Grand Isle Lake House and Pierce’s Store in Shrewsbury, VT
• Recognize great preservation successes through our biennial awards program
• Offer preservation resources and guidance on our website www.ptvermont.org.
• Distribute a free electronic newsletter