Built for a local lawyer and customs collector, the 1875 Jerry E. Dickerman House, is a prominent and rare example of residential Second Empire architectural style.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the 2 ½ story house has a clapboard exterior, distinctive period trim, and dormered mansard roof. The interior of the main section of the house retains much of its original woodwork, despite a mid-20th century conversion to apartments.

Originally set facing Main Street, which was then lined by similarly fashionable houses of the community’s upper class, the house was moved to its present location about 1930 to make room for a commercial building. Maps of the period show about half a dozen or so Second Empire houses, of which only two are known to survive.

Rural Edge, the primary affordable housing developer for the Northeast Kingdom, is undertaking an extensive rehabilitation of the building which currently houses six units of affordable housing. Exterior renovations will include a new roof, window restoration, replacing damaged trim, and exterior painting. A $50,000 grant will ensure this signature property in downtown Newport is preserved.

[Photo credit: Curtis B. Johnson]