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247 Pearl Street Former Name: Bailey-Hyde House Built: ca. 1820 |
By Lisa Ryan
The Bailey-Hyde house was built
circa 1820 and acted as both home and office to Benjamin F. Bailey
and his family. This five-by-two bay, two-and-a-half story brick
building has been somewhat altered with additions over the past
180 years, however it still stands as a fine example of the Federal
Style buildings so prominent on Pearl Street.(1)
In 1825 Benjamin Bailey, a lawyer
who used the building as his residence and office, formed a law
partnership with George P. Marsh, a Woodstock, Vermont native.
The partnership lasted until Bailey's untimely death at the age
of 36 on May 22, 1832. Catherine Hyde Bailey, along with their
daughter Marcia V. and son George F. was left a widow at the age
of 32. Benjamin's young wife and children were able to remain
in the home with the help of her brother, Archibald W. Hyde, who
took over ownership of the property in 1833. Archibald, also a
lawyer, supported the family both financially and emotionally
until his death in 1847. His sister Catherine lived in the house
for a few years but moved to Chicago to live with her son George,
and remained with him until her death in 1866. Marcia Bailey Follett,
now married to Louis Follett, lived in the house until her own
death in 1866.(2) 
Soon after, the house was renovated into apartments and ownership changed hands several times. Accross the rear of the building is a brick and shingle two story, one room deep addition added circa 1890. In the 1960s, several additions were added including a one story three bay, shed roofed structure on the East Side and a modern brick-walled entrance. The main block of the house has kept its massing, form and many of its original details that include a moderately sloping gable roof sheathed in slate shingles, splayed lintels above the windows, and elliptical windows at each gable end, thus contributing to the Pearl Street historic district and the history of Federal style homes in Burlington, Vermont.
Sources:
(1) State of Vermont Division of Historic Preservation: Historic Sites and Structures Survey, 1977.
(2) Burlington City Directories, 1866-1975.
262 Pearl Street - The Oziah Buell House
Introduction | 1830 Young map | 1830-1988 overlay maps | Street index | Surviving 1830 buildings | UVM Historic Preservation Program