The University of Vermont launched the third season of its popular historic tour program on June 25.  Led by UVM emeritus professor William Averyt, the weekly tours will take place Saturdays through Oct. 15 (except Aug. 20), from 9 to 11 a.m.

UVM was founded in 1791, the fifth oldest university in New England, and its central campus contains more than a dozen buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Highlighted on the tour are such structures as the Old Mill, completed in 1829, whose cornerstone was laid by the Marquis de Lafayette; the Billings Library, completed in 1885, which leading 19th century architect H.H. Richardson considered his finest building; and Grasse Mount, a brick Federal style mansion built in 1804 by a local merchant, which later served as the residence of Vermont governor Cornelius P. Van Ness.

The tour also covers the important and colorful people of UVM's history. The university’s founder, Ira Allen, for instance, was both a visionary Revolutionary War hero and a sometimes slippery real estate speculator. Professor Royall Tyler, a member of Vermont's Supreme Court in the 18th century and a playwright credited with writing the first American comedy, is said to be the model for the villain of Nathanial Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. UVM's third president, James Marsh, inspired Emerson and Thoreau, invented the modern university curriculum, and made Burlington the intellectual capital of America during the 1820s and 1830s. And 1879 alumnus John Dewey, whose grave is on campus, is considered one of American's greatest philosophers.

“Few people who visit campus, or even those who work here, know how deep UVM’s history goes,” tour guide Averyt said.  “The goal of the tour is to bring the richness of that history alive.”

"UVM not only has a physically striking campus full of historically significant architecture, but also a long history replete with important and intriguing figures, some of whom helped shape modern America," said Daniel Mark Fogel, UVM president. “We hope the tour will be both an entertaining experience for visitors and a means for telling the important story of the University of Vermont."

For more information on the tour and to register, visit www.uvm.edu/historictour.