Gray Rocks is significant as an extant cluster of historic farm buildings with surrounding fields and pastures, which provides an understanding of the development of dairy farming in the town of Richmond, Vermont, from the mid-nineteenth to the latter half of the twentieth century. The buildings and surrounding landscapes are eligible for inclusion on the National Register under Criteria A and C, and meet the registration requirements established for farmsteads included in the Multiple Property Listing for Agriculture Resources in Vermont. Gray Rocks developed into a successful dairy operation in the mid-nineteenth century, and this success continued until 1978, when Clarence Andrews sold all of his cattle. For more than a century, this farmstead witnessed periods of growth similar to other farms in the vicinity and throughout the state of Vermont. The addition of Italianate paired brackets underneath the main house’s cornice in the 1880s, reflected the farm’s prosperity in the late nineteenth century. Moreover, the reconfiguration of two English barns into a colossal U-shaped barn in 1917, exemplified the farm’s continued prosperity into the twentieth century. Lastly, the Andrews built an addition to the ice house in 1948, transforming it to a utility shed; they also built another shed in 1948 and a 16x30 wood stave silo in 1952.
The original 640 acre lot comprising the farmstead was purchased by James Butler circa 1800. Asa Rhodes, a blacksmith, bought the land from Mr. Butler in 1813. (From 1812 to 1814, Asa’a brother William, built Richmond’s Round Church, which will be designated as a Historic Landmark in May 1996.) When Asa bought the land, the farmhouse, the blacksmith shop and one English barn were located on the property. Between 1850 and 1860, the farm was passed onto Asa’s son, Cornelius. At the turn of the century, Cornelius handed the farm to his son Edward, and Edward’s wife, Agnes.
The 1850 Vermont Agricultural Census indicates that the farm’s operations centered around the production of dairy products, and these statistics are characteristic of other larger surrounding farms in the area. In 1850, the 670 acre farm included 45 milk cows, which yielded 1,800 pounds of butter and 15,000 pounds of cheese. Comparable to other farmers in Richmond, the Rhodes family also managed other livestock, such as five horses, seventeen sheep, and eighteen swine. In addition to 125 tons of hay, the Rhodes farm produced many types of cereals. For example, 300 bushels of Indian corn, 1000 bushels of oats and 22 bushels of Rye were yielded on the farm. Along with cereals, the Rhodes farmstead was involved with vegetable production. For instance, they harvested 300 bushels of Irish potatoes, and six bushels of peas and beans. Moreover, 200 pounds of maple sugar were produced on the property and a small orchard was also maintained. Except for an increase in chickens, eggs and apple trees and a significant decrease in sheep and swine, the census records from 1860 to 1880 reveal little change in the number of livestock and agricultural production.
At the turn of the century, when Cornelius Rhodes passed the ownership of the farm to his son Edward, the farmstead continued to thrive due to the expanding market for butter and liquid milk. On a daily basis, the Rhodes would deliver their butter and liquid milk to the Richmond Co-Op Creamery, located in the village of Richmond. The farm’s success in dairying is represented by the reconstruction of the two English barns into a large U-shaped barn in 1917. This architectural change more than doubled the space for dairy cows as well as provided extra rooms for horses, a granary and a milk house. Along with the construction of a reconfigured barn in 1917, a 30x40 wood stave silo was built on the U-shaped barn’s southwestern side to supply extra space for silage. All of these changes demonstrate that the Rhodes farm was a successful operation at the time when Edward Rhodes sold the property to Clarence Andrews in 1923.
Clarence Andrews operated the farm from 1923 until 1978. His sons Kenneth and Everett assisted in the operation from 1948 until 1978. From 1923 to 1978, the farm produced dairy products like milk and butter. During these years, the Andrews also grew corn, hay, potatoes, tomatoes and blackberries. In addition to these farm-related activities, the Andrews ran a successful inn, called Gray Rocks, from 1928 to 1941. Clarence’s wife, Ina Andrews, was the head cook as well as the sole administrator of Gray Rocks. She cooked three meals a day at a charge of thirty-five cents per meal. Boarding for a room per night cost one dollar and fifty cents. A weekly stay with meals included ran from fifteen to twenty dollars. Tourists from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York traveled to Vermont on an annual basis to experience the idyllic country comforts offered by inns like Gray Rocks.
Besides Gray Rocks, many farms and homesteads located on Route 2 in Richmond provided inns for tourists seeking a rural refuge from the drudgery of industrialized life. U. S. Route 2 was a major east-west route through the upper third of Vermont, running through New Hampshire and ending in Maine. For example, Riverside Farms, the Checkered House and Westal offered the same amenities as Gray Rocks. All of these establishments were situated on the northern side of Route 2 as one approached the Richmond village from Williston on the west. Moreover, the Whitcomb Bed and Breakfast, located just before the main intersection in Richmond, as well as the Bonnie Boo Inn, positioned just after the same intersection, were favorite spots of tourists and they were situated on the southern side of Route 2. Lastly, two miles after Gray Rocks, Ponds Lilly Farm provided an inn on the northern side of Route 2. All of these former inns helped to vitalize the Richmond economy, and currently they remain an integral part of Richmond’s tourism history and of Vermont’s tourism history.
Gray Rocks is a fine example of a farmstead that relates to the historic context, “Dairying, 1850-1946” in the Multiple Property Listing for Agriculture Resources in Vermont, and “Seasonal Residents” in the Vermont Historic Preservation Plan. The farmstead includes a farmhouse, garage, main barn, utility garage, sheep barn, blacksmith shop, shed, as well as surrounding fields, pastures and verdant hills. Similar to the Martin Bates farmstead in Richmond, Vermont, (listed in the National Register in 1991,) the Gray Rocks farmhouse was remodeled in the Italianate style during a period of prosperity in the 1880s. The U-shaped barn, built in 1917 to raise and enclose two former English barns as well as add two extra wings and an addition, exponentially multiplied dairying operation space. In Vermont, a reconstructed barn is a unique architectural barn type, and this design furthered the success of Gray Rocks. The c. 1840 sheep barn and the c. 1910 blacksmith shop possess salient architectural features representative of the age of their construction. The c. 1910 garage, the c. 1905 utility garage, and the c. 1948 shed are common outbuildings found on a farmstead. The farm’s intact open fields and pastures and other landscape features, such as a cove and a brook, are also important components of the farmstead. Although the farm is no longer in operation, the farm fields continue to be hayed. Gray Rocks retains its historic characteristics required for listing as a farmstead under the historic context of Dairying, 1850-1946.
For thirteen years, from 1928 to 1941, Gray Rocks also served as an inn for tourists, and this establishment increased the economic worth of the farm. Along with other nearby inns on Route 2, the farmstead’s legacy as a successful business enriches the social history of Gray Rocks, the town of Richmond, and the state of Vermont.
©1996 UVM Historic Preservation Program