Preservation Burlington Historic Homes Tour!
Did you know that the Intervale Center’s home is the beautiful Calkins farmstead, which is the last intact farmstead in Burlington? Our farmstead consists of a 1860s brick Italianate farmhouse, three barns, two outbuildings and a silo, all with their own unique history. It is home to our administrative offices, programs and enterprises and provides a beautiful venue for dozens of public and private events each year. Over the last thirty years, we have invested $2 million to restore our historic and agricultural buildings, and we are committed to continuing to preserving this physical expression of the 200+ years of farming in the Intervale.
We are so excited to share this special place with you. Please come learn more about our unique history on the Preservation Burlington Historic Homes Tour on June 3rd.
About the Tour: This year’s tour features an eclectic mix of Burlington’s historic homes and out-buildings. Come and tour several Hill Section houses, including the former home of one of Burlington’s recent mayors, and a beautifully restored turn of the century residence with stately columns and wraparound porch. This year we are also paying homage to the Queen City’s agricultural past and present by showcasing historic buildings at the Intervale Center’s farmstead. You’ll be able to peek inside the 19th century farmhouse that currently serves as the Center’s headquarters, and tour the Center’s grounds, including two historic barns. After the tour, relax and enjoy a slice of American Flatbread pizza baked on-site in the Center’s wood-fired oven.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Did you know?
- The Intervale Center property has continuously operated as a farm for at least 187 years, based on the c.1830 date of construction of the English Barn (a safe estimate would be for at least 175 years, but probably much longer). Of course, this agricultural operation follows a thousand years of hunting, foraging and farming by Native American Abenaki in the Intervale.
- The Calkins dairy farm was owned and operated by two generations of single women (Ella and her daughter, Rena), which was unique, as dairy farming is historically a male-dominated industry.
- In 1992, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation weighed in on the historic and architectural significance of the property, stating that “as the last remaining farmstead in Burlington, it is a rare surviving historic resource that preserves a collection of buildings and an agricultural landscape that were once common even within the boundaries of Vermont's largest city.”
Many thanks to Britta Tonn, Architectural Historian, for her help researching the Intervale Center’s unique history!