Braintree Hill Meetinghouse, Braintree
May 22, 2023 – The Preservation Trust of Vermont announced today a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant of $100,000 to the Braintree Historical Society for a new slate roof for the Braintree Hill Meetinghouse.
Constructed c.1845, the Greek Revival style Braintree Hill Meetinghouse has served as both the Congregational church and a Town Meeting Hall. The building remains largely as it was constructed with a tiered bell tower, huge multi-pane windows, and unpainted butternut pews and pulpit. In the 1960’s the building was transferred to the Braintree Historical Society and has served as a community gathering place and home to its collections ever since.
“The Bruhn grant is a huge contribution to the Braintree Historical Society’s efforts to preserve our iconic Meetinghouse. We’ve made real progress over the past few years in our restoration work, and this grant will enable us to begin our final big project of replacing the slate roof which has been failing for years,” says Larry Burns, vice president of the Braintree Historical Society. “The Braintree Hill Meetinghouse is more than a symbol of Braintree, it’s been a center of life for the Braintree community for almost two centuries, and the Bruhn grant will go a long way to ensure that it will still be there for generations to come.”
The new roof will enable the organization to continue to host more community and special events, including the “Braintree Bluegrass Brunch” in partnership with neighboring Randolph’s Chandler Center for the Arts as well as the “Braintree 357,” a popular cycling event that attracts hundreds of participants and spectators to the area. With the new roof secure, The Braintree Historical Society will be able to focus their efforts on preserving their collection and offering programs that foster a sense of place, a vital element of creating a community attractive to residents and visitors alike.
“The Preservation Trust of Vermont, in partnership with the National Parks Service, is excited to support projects like the Braintree Hill Meetinghouse that will help preserve and revitalize Vermont’s rural communities,” said Ben Doyle, PTV president. “We congratulate the community champions who are leading this work and thank Senator Sanders, Senator Welch, and Congresswoman Balint for their support of this wonderful program. We would also like to acknowledge former Senator Leahy, for his work in establishing this important national program and proposing that it be named after his good friend, and former PTV President, the late Paul Bruhn.”
The Braintree Hill Meetinghouse project and the Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant program are supported by the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The program supports the preservation and restoration of buildings and community gathering spaces of economic and social significance in rural communities with fewer than 7500 residents. Additional recipients of the Bruhn Historic Revitalization subgrants include the Miss Bellows Falls Diner, the Fletcher Free Library in Ludlow, Pittsfield Village Farm, the New Haven Junction Depot, the Gray Building in Northfield, and the HH Mower General Store in Sheldon. The grants range from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be used toward structural repairs, roof replacement, window restoration, exterior work, restoration of significant interior finishes, and code improvements.
“These grants will provide meaningful support to preserve historic sites in rural communities throughout Vermont. Each recipient represents a unique facet of our history and, thanks to support from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, will remain protected and preserved into the future,” said Sen. Sanders, Sen. Welch, and Rep. Balint. “We are honored to have helped bring this funding home to Vermont and look forward to seeing the role these historic community sites will play for generations to come.”
