NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.
1. Name of Property Historic name: Perley, Moses P., House Other names/site number: The 1906 House Name of related multiple property listing: N/A (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) ______2. Location Street & number: 527 Main Street City or town: Enosburg Falls State: Vermont County: Franklin Not For Publication: Vicinity:
______3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide _X_ local
Applicable National Register Criteria: ___A ___B _X_C ___D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title: State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
1
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
______4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) ______
______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ______5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: X
Public – Local
Public – State
Public – Federal
Category of Property (Check only one box.)
Building(s) X
District
Site
Structure
Object
Sections 1-6 page 2
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____2______0______buildings
______sites
______structures
______objects
_____2______0______Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ___0______6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.)
DOMESTIC/Single Dwelling
Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.)
DOMESTIC/Single Dwelling DOMESTIC/Hotel
Sections 1-6 page 3
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
______7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) LATE VICTORIAN/Shingle Style LATE 19th & 20th Century REVIVALS/Colonial Revival
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: STONE/Granite; Wood/Clapboards and Shingles; ASPHALT
Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______Summary Paragraph
The Moses P. Perley House is located at 527 Main Street (Vermont Route 108 North) in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. The house sits on four-and-a-half acres that extend back 1,000 feet from the street. A two-and-a-half-story wood-framed stable, contemporaneous to the house, is set to the immediate southwest of the house. The property is sited on the west side of Main Street in a residential neighborhood at the northern end of Enosburg Falls, just 7.9 miles south of the U.S.- Canada border.1 A gravel drive circles the southwestern side of the property, with concrete- paved walks to the house. Both the house and stable are contributing resources, each retaining sufficient integrity of design, workmanship, materials, setting, location, feeling, and association to reflect the period and area of significance. Designed as a single-family dwelling, the building serves currently as a bed-and-breakfast, with the property owners residing on the partially finished attic story.
1 The village of Enosburg Falls is located in Enosburgh, which was chartered on May 15, 1780. Enosburgh also includes Bordoville, East Enosburgh, North Enosburgh, Samsonville, West Enosburgh, and Enosburgh Center. It was named for Roger Enos, a commander of Vermont forces during the American Revolution and Ira Allen’s father- in-law.
Section 7 page 4
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
The house was completed in 1903 to the 1902-1903 architectural designs of Walter Ross Baume Willcox, then living in Burlington, Vermont. Stylistically, the building combines elements of the Shingle style and the Colonial Revival style. The wood-framed structure rises two-and-a-half stories in height on a full basement. The partially exposed foundation is rough-cut granite blocks. According to the plans of Willcox, the main block is 51’ wide and 35-1/2’ deep, with an original rear ell extending the building an additional 42.’ The outer bays of the façade (east elevation) project 3’ outward from the main block to emphasize the primary entry in the central bay. The first story is clad in clapboard siding with narrow corner boards—indicative of the Colonial Revival style; the second story is finished with square-butt wood shingles flared over a dividing stringcourse—reflecting the Shingle Style. The original porch extends the full width of the façade, with a hipped-roof carriage porch on the main block and a side porch on the ell of the south elevation. An entry porch—not on the Willcox plans but of original construction—is located at the connection of the main block and ell on the northwest side. These porches all have tapered Doric columns and pilasters supporting overhanging eaves with wide friezes and ogee moldings. Alterations to Willcox’s original design highlight the Colonial Revival influences the architect had initially presented.
The intersecting hipped roof of asphalt shingles is framed by wide overhanging eaves with a flat frieze and ogee moldings. Hipped-roof dormers holding double-hung windows pierce the roof on all elevations. The two fireplaces of the interior are serviced by two interior brick chimneys that have reconstructed stacks. The window openings as designed were to hold 6/1 double-hung wood sash but have historic 1/1 wood sash (that may be original); the dormers present 6/1 wood sashes. The façade is ornately finished with a Palladian window at the center of the second story. A curved bay projects from the north elevation, symmetrically balanced by a canted bay on the south elevation.
______Narrative Description
Main House: Exterior
Presenting an amalgamation of the Shingle style and the Colonial Revival style, the single-family house was completed in 1903 at 527 Main Street in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. The high-style design was produced in 1902-1903 by architect W.R.B. Willcox, who was then residing in Burlington, Vermont. The wood-framed structure is set on a solid foundation that is 7’6” deep, rising slightly aboveground with 18” thick rough-cut granite blocks. The broken-coursed stone foundation is pierced randomly by three-light fixed sash of wood with 3” tilted wood sills set on concrete above the granite blocks. The water table of wood is finished with an ogee bed molding, square-edged shelf, recessed fillet, and is topped by thumb and cock beads. The first story of the two-and-a-half-story building, rising 9’ in height, is clad in clapboard siding edged by narrow corner boards. The second story, which is 8’6” high, is clad in square-butt wood shingles that flare over the stringcourse dividing the two stories. Original cedar shakes were identified in the
Section 7 page 5
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
second-story bath during alterations to a roof porch. The stringcourse has a narrow bed molding visually supporting a square-edged architrave, ogee molding, and ogee-framed frieze.
The overhanging entablature of the roof has narrow squared molding supporting the ogee architrave, 1-1/8” frieze, and 3” ogee bed molding. The roof’s rafters (2” by 9”) overhang within a boxed cornice finished with a 3” facia, 1-1/2” cove molding and ogee molding with galvanized iron gutters hidden within the cornice—the gutters are deteriorated and since have been covered. The intersecting hipped roof of the house is covered in asphalt shingles; the original plans indicate the roof was to be covered in #1 Bangor slate shingles. The ridge roll and terminals are finished in galvanized iron. Lightning rods with ceramic balls are placed along the ridges of the roof and dormers. Originally, as designed, the building was serviced by two interior brick chimneys, each with corbeled brick caps; the chimney stacks have been reconstructed without the corbeled caps. Hipped roof dormers pierce the roof, holding 6/1 double-hung, wood sash. The dormers have square-butt wood shingles on the faces and cheeks, narrow corner boards, wide friezes with bed molding, and overhanging eaves boxed and finished like that of the main roof. A skylight pierces the roof near the transition from the main block to the ell to provide nature light to the interior hall of the attic story.
The façade (east elevation) of the house is five bays wide on the first story and three bays wide on the second story. The outer bays project 3’ outward from the center bay, allowing emphasis on the main entry. The design plans by Willcox included a wrap-around porch that began at the center entry bay and extended around the southeast corner of the main block; it was not fully constructed as designed. Rather, the original porch extends the full width of the façade, with a separate hipped-roof carriage porch on the south elevation of the main block and a one-bay-wide side porch on the south elevation of the ell. The porch along the façade is set on squared posts of wood with lattice between. The straight-flight stair at the center has seven wood steps with freestanding square posts and gripper rails; the original plans show the rails were to abut the columns. The porch has a half-hipped roof covered in asphalt shingles. It is finished with an open pedimented gable set over the stairs. Taking a cue from the façade of the house, the three center bays of the five-bay-wide porch project outward to further emphasis the central entry bay. The roof is supported by Doric columns and pilasters of wood with squared plinths set with ogee- molded caps. The square balusters with baptismal crosses at the center are held by gripper rails. The entablature has bed molding on the architrave and wide frieze, an overhanging boxed cornice finished with a 3” facia, 1-1/2” cove molding, and ogee molding as found along the main roof. The face of the open gable over the entry has square-butt wood shingles, cornice returns with scrolled brackets, and a circular medallion at the center.
The first story, along the façade, has 44” by 30” wide window openings, each holding 1/1 double-hung wood sash. The original plans produced by Willcox indicate the windows were to be 6/1 sash; an undated historic photograph copyrighted by F.M. Carpenter suggests the windows may have originally been 1/1 sash.2 All openings on the first story measure 44” by 28” with square-edged surrounds with molded back banding and squared wood sills. Willcox’s plans
2 Frederick M. Carpenter (1858-1931) was a resident of Enosburg, with his own art and photography studio.
Section 7 page 6
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
also show the windows were all to have shutters, which are noted on several (but not all) of the openings in the Carpenter photograph.3 The main entry opening holds a four-paneled wood door with central stained-glass window. The floral/scrolled design of the door is clearly depicted on Willcox’s original plans for the house. The entry is closely flanked by the window openings of the center bay.
The second story of the façade has single 1/1 double-hung, wood-sash windows in the outer bays. The openings measure 44” by 28” with square-edged surrounds finished by molded back banding. The center bay is ornately finished with a Palladian window. The central opening has a rounded top with fixed 6-light sash and 3-light fanlight over 1-light operable sash. The opening measures 30” by 28,” with flanking windows that are 18” by 28.” These flanking windows have 1-light operable sash topped by 3 lights. The whole opening is framed by Doric pilasters that act as mullions and surrounds, supporting the molded entablature that is like that of the main roof. A slender keystone tops the Palladian window at the center. Two hipped-roof dormers with 6/1 sash pierce the roof above the façade, symmetrically placed over the center entry and Palladian window.
The north side elevation is 35’5” along the main block, extending two rooms deep. The foundation has two 3-light windows (10” by 20”) that are set symmetrically below the first-story fenestration. The eastern bay has a single 1/1 window measuring 30” by 30” with square-edged surrounds with molded back banding. The western half of the elevation has a one-story curved bay holding three double-hung windows, each 40” by 30” with square-edged surrounds framed by molded back banding. The bay projects 3’4” from the main block and is 12’6” wide. The 1/1 windows are bowed to complete the curve of the bay; 4-light wood storm windows—without a curve—have been applied. The half-hipped roof of the bay has a shallow pitch covered in asphalt shingles. The wide overhanging eave shelters a plain frieze with ogee bed molding. The cornice is finished with a 3” facia and 1-1/2” cove molding like that along the main roof. Three single double-hung windows with 1/1 wood sash pierce the second story. The narrower center window—brightening a closet—is 18” by 28” flanked by larger openings of 36” by 28.” A hipped-roof dormer with paired 6/1 windows marks the center of the roof on the north elevation.
The west elevation of the main block has two foundation openings without windows to allow for mechanical and water. The northern bay of the first story has a 1/1 double-hung window (44” by 30”). The center bay holds paired 1/1 windows (34” by 28”). A circular roof has been added to the east side of the ell’s porch, sheltering the southernmost of the paired windows from snow falling off the main roof. The second story shows one of the building’s few alterations; the original 44” by 28” window with double-hung sash was replaced by a paired two-light window measuring approximately 28” by 32.” The square-edged surround with back banding appears to have been reused and a deeper sill applied. The 28” by 28” double-hung window in the center of the exposed elevation has been reduced in length; originally it illuminated a dead-end hall that has been reconfigured to enlarge a full bath. The southern bay of the main block’s west elevation
3 The original shutters have been retained and are in storage.
Section 7 page 7
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
has a 32” by 28” window nearly abutting the ell. Not depicted on Willcox’s plans, a single 1/1 dormer with hipped roof pierces the main block, just slightly off center.
Slightly off-center on the west elevation of the main block is the ell, measuring 31’6” deep. It is set back 24’4” from the northwest corner of the main block. The ell is covered by a hipped roof that steps down over the two westernmost bays, thereby creating a separation from the formal activities of the main block and those of the servant’s quarters. The intersection of the main block’s west elevation and the north elevation of the ell is finished with a modest porch. The design of the 5’ by 4’ porch by Willcox shows a single Doric column and balustrade terminating at a half post with straight-flight stair to a single-leaf entry holding a two paneled wood door with fixed glass. As constructed, the two-bay-wide porch has square wood post foundation with lattice between. Like the main porch finishing the façade, this porch has two Doric columns and a pilaster with thin square balusters and gripper rails. The floor of the porch abuts the main block; the stair at the eastern end has been removed. The half-hipped roof is covered in asphalt shingles and finished with an overhanging eave like that of the main roof. Set under the porch is a smaller 1-light window measuring 28” by 15.” Bulkhead entry to the basement is located to the west of the entry porch. Two single double-hung windows of 28” by 30” illuminate the western end of the ell’s north elevation. The second story has four window openings. Those in the eastern and western bays originally measured 24” by 28,” but the easternmost opening (originally a linen closet) has been reduced to 28” by 15” to hold a 1/1 replacement sash. In the center bays are the smaller 1-light window for an enclosed stair to the attic story and double-hung sash of 28” by 24” for the full bath. Asymmetrically placed above the two western window openings is a hipped-roof dormer with 6/1 double-hung sash; this original dormer does not appear on the Willcox plans.
The west elevation of the ell has a single window opening (28” by 15”) on the first story that may have been added and a 28” by 28” double-hung sash on the second story; both are in the northern end bay. The original plans show the first-story opening was historically an opening to the back of the refrigerator, with a single flight of stairs allowing ice to be delivered from the exterior. The stairs have been removed. The exterior-end brick chimney has been cut just above the roofline and clad in square wood shingles. The one-story projection, noted on Willcox’s plan as “shed,” has clapboard siding with corner boards and a hipped roof of asphalt shingles. The slightly overhanging eave abuts and matches the stringcourse of the ell. The shed, measuring 10’ by 15’10,” has a wrap-around porch on the north and west elevations, accessible by a wooden ADA ramp that is a later addition. The porch has a wood floor set on wood posts, with square posts supporting the very shallow pitched half-hipped asphalt roof. A single-leaf entry pieces the north elevation of the shed, replacing a double-hung window opening (28” by 30”). The west elevation, originally designed to have a single-leaf entry and double-hung window, has paired 1/1 windows set over the kitchen sink. Paired 1/1 windows with square-edged surrounds (devoid of back banding) pierce the south elevation of the shed, set symmetrically over a two-light foundation window. The windows are shortened to fit just over the kitchen counters. The Willcox plan shows the paired window was to be a single opening and does not depict the foundation window. The shed now forms part of the enlarged kitchen.
Section 7 page 8
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
The south elevation measures 77’3” deep, including the main block, ell, and shed. It is symmetrically fenestrated, providing illumination through varying window sizes as the interior spaces dictate. The main block is three bays wide, formed by a triple window, carriage entry porch, and canted bay window. The triple window, lighting the living room, does not appear on the Willcox plan but is clearly visible on the Carpenter photograph, suggesting it is original. The central sash opening is slightly wider than the flanking openings, each holding 1/1 wood sash within shared square-edged surrounds and mullions. The carriage porch at the center of the south elevation’s main block has a side-entry porch with straight-flight stair and square-edge post and rounded rail. The squared entablature has an ogee-molded architrave and wide plain frieze with bed molding. It is supported by Doric columns and pilasters. A half-hipped roof of asphalt shingles projects from above the entablature, overhanging to protect carriages with a circular eave. The eave matches with the stringcourse of the main block, although it is set just slightly above the stringcourse on the east side. Set on wood posts with lattice between, the porch has square balusters, baptismal crosses at the center, and gripper rails. A small double-hung window (26” by 26”) frames the single-leaf entry of two panels under one light. Moving westward, the canted bay window was planned to have five double-hung windows but was executed to have narrow 1/1 windows flanking a wider center 1/1 window. This upper sash, which is shorter than standard, is leaded with stained glass depicting two cornucopias. The Carpenter photographs shows this is a historic stained-glass window. The bay window has clapboard siding, narrow corner boards, and a continuous wood sill that also reads as a narrow stringcourse. The overhanging eave of the bay window perfectly abuts the molded stringcourse of the main block.
The fenestration of the second story on the main block was executed as planned by Willcox. Above the triple window and entry openings are 1/1 double-hung windows, both measuring 30” by 28.” These openings flank a smaller 1/1 window of 30” by 22” that provides light for the master chamber’s full bath. Designed as a triple window with shared mullions, three double- hung windows are placed above the bay window. They have 1/1 sash, square-edged surrounds with back banding, and a shared continuous wood sill. A dormer with paired 6/1 double-hung sash prices the center of the roof’s south elevation.
The south elevation of the ell as designed was to have a single window opening, a paired opening, and single-leaf entry extending east to west. Rather, the paired window and entry openings have been switched. According to the Carpenter photograph, this is an alteration, likely the result of the renovations to extend the kitchen into the shed. The single-leaf door has two panels under one light. The paired windows were shortened to fit over the kitchen counters. The original porch, although not depicted on the Willcox plan, has a straight-flight stair on the western end. It is set on square wood posts with lattice. The half-hipped roof has Doric columns and pilasters, square balusters with baptismal crosses, gripper rails, and overhanging eave that matches that of the main porch on the façade. On the second story are paired 1/1 double-hung windows with square-edged surrounds and back banding. The lintels abut the overhanging eave of the main roof.
Section 7 page 9
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Interior
The interior of the two-and-a-half-story building was inspired by the Shingle style and retains many of the original features and finishes as designed in 1902-1903 by W.R.B. Willcox and completed in 1903. It was restored under the direction of owner Jennifer Bright in 2014. On the first floor, the main block includes a spacious central entry hall with quarter-landing stair and coat room, music room leading to the library, living room, carriage-entry hall with half-bath, sewing room, elevator lift, and corridor leading to the ell. The dining room extends from the southwest corner of the main block into the ell, with passage through the serving pantry to the kitchen. On the north side of the corridor in the ell are the servant’s dog-legged stair, side hall to northwest porch, basement stair, milk room, and store room with refrigerator.
The second floor as designed and executed provides five bed chambers in the main block. The master chamber, in the southeast corner of the second floor, is identified by the two closets and a full bath. The other four bedrooms share a large full bath on the west side of the second floor. The ell provides space for three additional bed chambers, each with a closet and shared full bath. The dog-legged stair and lift continue to the attic story. Noted as the third floor on the Willcox plan, the attic story has three chambers wrapping around an L-shaped corridor and store room. Portions of the attic under the eaves and over the ell are unfinished.
First Floor
The central entry hall measures 19’6” along the façade and 17’ deep. Access from the hall into the music room (15’ by 17’) in the northeast corner and the living room (15’ by 17’) in the southeast corner are through sliding doors, each 3’6” by 7’6.” The cypress doors have ten recessed panels with ogee molding and door sets with push-button pulls and strike bolts. The single-leaf doors throughout have five panels marked by hollow oval brass knobs and oval plates with beaded edges. The maple floors of the public spaces are complemented by the cypress finish throughout. Although Willcox specified maple be used for the flooring in the central entry hall, oak was used instead.
The public rooms express the detail outlined by the architect with 5½” architraves around the window and entry openings. Each has ogee back banding and ½” cyma reversa stops. The stools of the windows are 1-1/8” thick with shallow ogee profiles. The 3½” aprons have coved bed molding and ogee molding on the splayed faces. The bases encircling the rooms are 8” high with 1½” ogee-molded caps. The carpet strips have torus profiles. The ceilings are framed by ogee and ovolo moldings with a three-quarter round picture rail edged by reeding. Several simple metal picture rail hooks remain in place. Cross beams in a regular pattern ornament the ceilings of the living and dining rooms; the beams have recessed faces and ogee ceiling molding. Set under several of the windows are cast-iron radiators, ornately imprinted with flora.
Notable in the center entry hall is the quarter-landing stair, located along the western wall. It has three starter steps leading to the landing. The open stair has a square main newel and quarter-
Section 7 page 10
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
landing newel. Both have fluting on the upper halves with bases that match those framing the room. They are capped with rondels. The fancy-turned balusters are set on the open stringer, which is finished with ogee bed molding along the treads and stringboard. The south side of the stringer, framing the landing, is paneled. The rail has a molded gripper profile. A built-in bench lines the stringboard wall. The bench has splayed solid legs and molding that aligns with the base framing the room. The arms and back of the bench have ogee molding and a continuous squared cap. Under the main stringer of the stair is a built-in desk, complete with four stacked drawers and diagonal-board doors that swing out. Set flush with the wall, the built-in has the same architrave molding as the windows. The drawers have nickel pulls and the doors are secured with a cupboard catch. The original plans for the Moses Perley House indicate a passage in the northeast corner of the center entry hall, under the stair stringer, leading to a coat closet. The closet is in the space as originally intended but reached through a single-leaf door in the carriage- entry hall. A vertical-board door with cupboard catch provides access under the stair landing on the west side where the central entry hall joins the carriage-entry hall.
The northwest corner of the main block’s first floor holds the library, reached through the music room as well as through a narrow hall that runs east-west adjacent to the sewing room. The library and music room are separated by ten-paneled cypress sliding doors (3’6” by 7’6”). Measuring 17’ by 15,’ the library includes the three-sash window seat within the curved bay on the north wall and projecting chimney wall breast on the south wall. Flanked by single-leaf paneled doors on the south wall, the chimney holds an ornate terra cotta brick mantel. The fire opening has been enclosed with cast-iron and glass doors. The face of the mantel has beading and a projecting ogee shelf visually supporting the reeded fluting under the cove- and torus- molded cornice. A recessed panel marks the center of the face, framed by the fluting. Above a single course of brick is an ogee-molded cornice set under a square-edged shelf. The center of the upper shelf is recessed the wythe of a single brick to provide a deeper display shelf. Ceramic tiles of deep rose form the raised hearth. Willcox designed the library with built-in shelfing lining the four corners of the room; this shelving was removed by descendants of Moses Perley. Restoration of this room by the current owner included removal of the particle board that had been added to the walls and ceiling.
On the southeast corner of the first floor is the living room. Measuring 15’ by 19,’ the room has a rectangular projecting chimney breast on the west wall. The sand-colored ceramic tiles of the hearth are not framed but flush with the maple flooring. The bricks of the mantel wrap around the three sides of the chimney breast, finished with bead molding at the corners. The semi- circular fireplace opening is formed by bullnose bricks. Exaggerated twisted cording projects from the straight sides and face of the mantel around the opening. The overhanging shelf has inflated egg-and-dart molding. The mantel was repainted by the current owner.
The living room is separated from the dining room by a carriage-entry hall, measuring 7’6” deep and about 25’ in length. At the southern end, the width of the hall is narrowed by the half-bath in the southeast corner. A five-paneled door separates the 4’-wide passage from wider hall as it extends as a corridor into the ell. A sliding door (5’ by 7’6”) leads from this hall into the dining
Section 7 page 11
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
room. The dining room is 15’ wide and 18’ deep, augmented by a 2’-deep bay window on the south wall. The walls are finished with paneled wainscoting. A paneled door opens from the center of the north wall to the ell corridor. A swinging door provides access from the center of the west wall to the serving pantry, which has built-in drawers and cabinets. The three layers of drawers are topped by soapstone counters laid over linoleum. The upper cabinets have glass doors and cupboard catches. The cabinets, denoted as lockers by Willcox, frame the ceiling with an ogee cornice. A pantry sink sits under the window on the south side of the room. The west wall of the 12’ by 8’ room is pierced at the center by a swinging door to the kitchen.
Original lighting exists throughout the house, including the brass pendant fixture in the central entry hall. Electrified by a push button switch, the once-gas fixture provides indirect light from paper candles with shades. The brass pan has a gas key and floral relief. The rod is attached to the top of the pan by a large loop; it is affixed to the ceiling by a rounded ceiling canopy. The cross-beam ceiling of the living room holds a semi-indirect light at the center. The original fixture consists of a white glass bowl with floral design and round link chains connected to a brass ceiling canopy. The original scones over the manel are one-light candle brackets with circular roundel plates of brass. Pull chains extend from below the bobeche of the enamel candles, which are crowned with shades. The brass fixture hanging from the center of the dining room originally hung in the music room. It is an electrified gas fixture with five scrolled bracket lights ornamented with etched glass balls that are open at the top. The gas key hangs from the bottom of the turned pan, supported by a brass stem and turned ceiling canopy. The wall scones that originally illuminated the dining room have been removed and placed in storage. The carriage-entry hall is illuminated by a ceiling fixture that originally was in one of the bedrooms. It is a hanging pendant light of brass with gas key at the base of a ball pan and two scrolled brackets. The direct lighting is created by etched glass shades.
The sewing room is located between the library and carriage-entry hall, accessible from both spaces. It has spruce flooring. A closet is in the southeast corner of the room. A built-in seat was installed along the west wall below the window; the structure hides the modern heating system.
Accessed through a single-leaf door (2’ by 7’6”) is the ell corridor. Finished with maple flooring, the corridor provides access to the elevator lift, side hall to the northwest porch, and servant’s dog-legged stair. The elevator is within a space that measures 2’10” square, hidden behind a five-paneled wood door. It is still intact but not operational. The space has been altered to house all the required electrical and mechanical operations and enclosed between floors as fire safety required. The side hall to the northwest porch is 7’6” wide, accessing the single-leave door to the porch. The servant’s stair has a dog-leg plan on the lower half. Covered with carpeting on the lower half, the stair has a fancy-turned newel on squared base with finial cap, fancy-turned balusters on open stringer, and gripper rail. The base found throughout the public spaces of the first story continues as the wall stringer, rounding the landing with a corner bead. A fixed sash that is now an operational egress window illuminates the landing. The stair has a quarter turn on the upper portion, which is enclosed. Molded gripper rails line the walls on both sides. A single- leaf door secures the stair at the second floor.
Section 7 page 12
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
The ell corridor, measuring 3’6” wide, continues into the kitchen, covered with a reproduction linoleum floor of black and red. Willcox’s plans show the floor was originally hard pine. A single-leaf door conceals the service area from the public spaces on the first story. Immediately to the west of the door is the straight-flight stair down to the basement. The milk room is found in the northeast corner, measuring 7’6” wide and 12’ deep. The paneled walls are lined with floor-to-ceiling shelving and cabinets. The storeroom to the west is 7’6” wide and 8’ deep, with beaded board walls. According to the Willcox plans, a large rectangular refrigerator was in the southwest corner of the room, open to the exterior by a narrow opening at the back to allow ice to be inserted from the porch.
As originally designed, the kitchen was to have/had hard pine floor and a sink along the center of the south wall. It measured 12’ by 15’10” with access to the rear shed, which was 10’ by 15’10.’ The interior wall between the original kitchen and shed was removed after water pipes burst during the tenure of the current owner. The chimney stack between the two spaces was removed from the interior but is evident on the exterior. The original door between has been reused at the full bath on the second floor. A three-bowl soapstone sink, originally in the basement, was moved to west wall of the enlarged kitchen under the paired window opening. The sink has a metal plate reading, “ALBERENE STONE, 399 Pearl Street, New York.” The current owner contacted the company that produced the original sink, working with them to obtain soapstone from the same quarry for the counters and back splash that now frame the room along the west and south walls and on the added center island. Because window openings have been reconfigured, the casing (narrower than the original) has mitered joints with ogee back banding. The wood drawers under the counters were constructed for the current owner by a local craftsman. They have coved drawer pulls like the built-in desk in the center entry hall.
Second Floor
The second floor is ornamented similarly to the first floor. It provides five bed chambers in the main block. The hall and baths have hard pine floors and the bed chambers have spruce flooring; all spaces are finished with cypress molded trim. The hall is artificially illuminated by two pendant lights, one at each end of the transverse hall. The light at the northern end has satin- finished glass shade corning an opening floral bud. The individual “petals” of the direct shade are edged in brass with filigree reminiscent of foliage. The brass shade holder joins the stem with the single link loop. The southern light fixture is similarly finished with a floral shade of two rows of petals in bloom. The ceiling of the hall is framed by ogee and ovolo molding with a three-quarter round picture rail edged by reeding.
The stair rises south to north within the transverse hall uniting the chambers. The second-floor landing newel is like that of the first-floor main and quarter-landing newels with a fluted square form capped by a rondel. The fancy-turned balusters are set on the open stringer supporting a molded gripper rail. A three-sided oriel hangs over the stair on the east wall. The oriel holds three identical leaded/stained glass windows with fleur-de-lis at the centers. Providing
Section 7 page 13
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
illumination through No. 2 bed chamber, the oriel is ornately finished with spruce surrounds framed by ogee molding. The openings share an ogee-molded sill with squared apron and cove molding. Two scrolled corbels visually support the oriel. Within the center bed chamber, the oriel provides a recessed canted shelf.
The master chamber, in the southeast corner of the second floor, is identified by the two closets and a full bath. The space measures 15’ by 15’2.” The other four bedrooms share a large full bath on the west side of the second floor. All baths were designed to include a tub, sink, and water closet. Each “clothes press” is complete with built-in dresser drawers and shelves with double hat-and-coat hooks, detailing specifically noted on Willcox’s original plans. The center bed chamber is set directly above the first-floors entry hall, measuring 12’2” by 12’8.” The ceiling has been covered with particle board and inset lighting. The northeast and northwest bed chambers each measure 15’ by 15’1½.” The southwest chamber, smaller because of the private bath and extra closet of the master chamber, is 15’ by 11’3.” Originally as designed, a corridor ran east to west from the hall abutting the northwest chamber. The 3’6” corridor provided access to the shared full bath, ending at a 6/1 window opening. The current owner recaptured the western end of the corridor as a closet for the northwest chamber and reconfigured the placement of the tub and sink in the bath. All the rooms have four paneled doors, two narrow panels set horizontally with two longer panels above vertically. The openings have mitered surrounds with projecting ogee back banding. Spindles of wood serve as door stops, projecting from the ogee- capped base boards that are finished with quarter bead bases. Narrow ogee molding frames the ceilings of the chambers.
The ell provides space for three additional bed chambers, each with a closet and one shared full bath. The elevator lift is flanked by closets labeled “med clo” on the east side and “linen press” on the west side. Both spaces provide shelves. The corridor of the ell runs east to west from the main block to terminate at the entry of the northwest chamber. The corridor measures 3’6” wide with an entry at the division between the main block and ell, a physical division between the family and guest spaces and those of the servants. The chambers and corridor have spruce flooring and detailing much like that of the main block, save the molding framing the ceilings. The southeastern room of the ell is a narrow space of 15’ by 10’8.” The southwest room is 12’ by 16’6” and the northwest room is 11’4” by 12’8,” smaller because of the shared full bath set between the stair and this latter chamber. These rooms were divided from the main house to serve as a private apartment with kitchen by a previous owner and subsequently restored by the current owner.
Attic Story
The dog-legged stair and lift continue to the attic story. Noted as the third floor on the Willcox plan, the attic story has three chambers wrapping around an L-shaped corridor and store room. A full bath has been added within the chamber on the north side of the third floor, replacing a closet. Portions of the attic under the eaves and over the ell are unfinished. A skylight, not clearly visible from the exterior, pierces the roof to illuminate the corridor.
Section 7 page 14
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Stable
The large stable to the southwest of the main house is wood frame clad in clapboard siding with narrow corner boards. It is set on a rubble stone foundation that is partially exposed, with two- light basement windows. A vertical-board door pierces the foundation on the south elevation. Three-light windows flank the high-drive on the east elevation. The rectangular stable has a gambrel roof covered in standing seam metal with lightning rods; one of the four rods has a weathervane of cast iron. The upper gambrel ends of the building’s side elevations are covered in square-butt wood shingles. Two courses of teardrop shingles framing a single course of fishscale shingles create the two stringcourses. The wide overhanging eaves have stepped friezes with bed moldings and cavetto-molded cornices.
The east elevation of the stable has full-height doors of vertical boards. The doors slide open. Double-hung windows with 2/1 sash of wood flank the doors, three in the north bays and two in the south bays. The openings immediately adjacent to the doors are narrow. The Carpenter photograph indicates the window configuration of 2/1 sash and the vertical-board doors are historic. The north elevation is asymmetrically fenestrated with a 2/1 double-hung window and square one-light windows. The second story has two 9/1 windows and a square vent in the upper gable end. The west elevation has a tall horizontal-board door with molded lintel cap. Randomly piercing the elevation are square one-light windows and a narrow horizontally placed opening with two fixed paired lights. Abutting the frieze are two vertical-board doors to the hay loft. Each has square-edged surrounds and narrow sills. The south elevation has two 2/1 windows on the first story, two 9/1 windows on the second story, and a louvered vent in the gambrel end.
The interior of the stable is divided into modest living and office space for the stableman, tack room, feed room, and stalls; additional living space was provided on the second floor. The interior is finished with vertical-board siding. Although minimally altered to serve as event space, the interior of the barn retains its historic configuration and finishes.
Section 7 page 15
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
______8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.)
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of X construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.
D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations (Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)
A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
B. Removed from its original location
C. A birthplace or grave
D. A cemetery
E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F. A commemorative property
G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
Section 8 page 16
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) ARCHITECTURE
Period of Significance 1903
Significant Dates ______
Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) _NA______
Cultural Affiliation _NA______
Architect/Builder Manley, Allen H. (builder) Willcox, Walter Ross Baume (architect)
Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.)
The Moses P. Perley House at 527 North Main Street in Enosburg Falls, Vermont, is an excellent illustration of the amalgamation of the Shingle and Colonial Revival styles, a combined high- style expression not overly common to Northern Vermont. The house and associated carriage barn were designed in 1902-1903 by Walter Ross Baume Willcox and built by local resident Allen H. Manley in 1903. Willcox, the Burlington-based architect, was largely known for his institutional, ecclesiastical, and commercial work. His design of the Perley House illustrates the architect’s prolific execution of two popular architectural styles, and the prestige of the dwelling’s original owner. The Victorian-era Shingle style is presented with a complexity of wall cladding created by clapboard siding and square-butt wood shingles, and an intersecting hipped
Section 8 page 17
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
roof pierced by dormers. The 20th century’s revival of colonial precedents is evidenced by the porches gracing the façade and carriage entry, symmetrically balanced fenestration, and distinguishing carved bay and Palladian windows. The house was built specifically for Moses Parmelee Perley, a prominent citizen of Enosburgh who made his fortune as a hardware merchant and investor; he was also a member of the state legislature. With a diverse interest in general merchandising, Perley established the M.P. Perley & Company, which was the first mercantile business established in Enosburgh and the largest general merchandise stores in Northern Vermont by the end of the 19th century. Perley was an active partner in the manufacturing of Dr. B.J. Kendall’s Spavin Cure, an internationally acclaimed liniment for the treatment of lameness in horses. In 1979, the house became the residence of Merrill Ernest Perley. Like his distant cousin Moses Perley, Merrill Perley was very active in Enosburgh and served in the Vermont House of Representatives for Franklin County for 22 years. In 2013, after 110 years of ownership, the Perley family heirs sold the property to Jennifer Bright, who undertook restoration of the high-style dwelling and carriage barn. The Moses P. Perley House is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for Architecture for its local significance, with a period of significance reflecting the 1903 construction of the Shingle- and Colonial Revival-style dwelling. ______Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.)
Moses P. Perley’s rise in prominence resulted in the construction of his imposing home at 527 Main Street in Enosburg Falls just after the turn of the 20th century. The village where Perley chose to have his fashionable dwelling constructed in 1902-1903 was (and remains) largely agricultural with great expanses of open farmland framing the quintessential Vermont main street and Missisquoi River. In 1900, Enosburgh was home to 2,054 residents; in 1840, when Perley was born there, it had 2,022 residents.4
In 1902, Perley contracted prominent Burlington architect, Walter Ross Baume Willcox, to design a high-style dwelling for the large vacant lot at the northern end of Main Street. The dwelling was constructed across the street from the Spavin Cure building (1880) and the Carmi L. Marsh House (c. 1878) and next door to the Dr. Kendall Home (c. 1877), uniting three of the four original investors of Spavin Cure at the northern end of Main Street. W.R.B. Willcox appears to have continued to update the plans until 1903, when the house was under construction. However, the design plans provided by the noted architect do not exactly match the final design of the house. Willcox had designed a wrap-around porch that began at the center entry bay of the façade and extended around the southeast corner of the main block to the carriage entry bay. Rather, the original porch was constructed along the full width of the façade—a design typical of the Colonial Revival style, with a separate hipped-roof carriage porch on the south elevation of the main block and a one-bay-wide side porch on the south elevation of the ell. The changes from design to construction are believed to have been performed under the care of Willcox because of the continuity of design, material, and
4 The population of Enosburgh in 2016 was 2,737.
Section 8 page 18
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
workmanship. The house, as constructed, epitomizes the unity of Shingle and Colonial Revival architecture, speaking to the proficiency of the trained architect and stature of the prominent owner.
Notice of the construction of the new Moses P. Perley House frequently peppered the newspapers. In June 1902, the Perley family moved to the house of Mrs. Florence Potter on Orchard Street “during the time occupied in building their new home.”5 In September and October of that year it was noted that William Harris of Hyde Park “has employment on M.P. Perley’s house” and Joshua Samson “has contract for plastering the house.”6 The Burlington Free Press announced in January 1903 that the carpenters under the direction of Allen H. Manley had begun “to put on the finished in M.P. Perley’s new house.”7 The update in March 1903 reported that “M.P. Perley’s new house is nearly ready for occupancy. The interior finishes being done by painters.”8 The newspapers detailed the construction of the Enosburg Opera House that was being simultaneously erected, often noting information on the new house of Perley where C.H. Andrus was “doing inside work frescoing” and G. Garron was laying walks of cement.9 The newspapers announced the family had relocated to their new home in September 1903, fourteen months after moving to Orchard Street.10 The final update on the work appeared in October 1905, when the St. Albans Daily Messenger reported Perley had “a hedge set out on the grounds of his residence on North Main Street.”11
Carpenter Allen H. Manley was widely known for his skills. A 1907 article in the Burlington Free Press, which showed Enosburgh Falls as having more public improvements that any other town of a similar size in Vermont, showcased the works of Manley. In business since 1873, Manley was “recognized as one of the most prominent and successful contractors in Enosburgh Falls and the country surrounding it.” The home of Moses P. Perley was presented as “among some of the notable structures he has erected.” Manley was noted for his woodworking shop, which was operated by a 25-40 horsepower water wheel as well as “all of the most modern machinery for the manufacture of all kinds of house finish, doors, sashes, blinds, etc. Mr. Manley also deals in lumber, paints and house trimmings. He makes a specialty of stair building.” Manley, noted in the 1907 article as “still in the prime of life,” was responsible for constructing the opera house, Free Baptist Church, and the Burt Block, all of Enosburg, as well as the Hotel Randall in Morrisville, and the First Congressional Church, bank and school in Hyde Park.12 His skills are showcased at the Moses P. Perley House.
5 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, June 20, 1902, page 6. 6 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, September 13, 1902, page 7; “Enosburg,” St. Albans Daily Messenger, October 15, 1902, page 6. 7 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, January 8, 1903, page 6. 8 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, March 26, 1903, page 7. 9 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, August 12, 1903, page 6; no “frescoes” were noted in the house and it is unclear if this description if referring to decorative painting on wet plaster. 10 “Enosburg Falls,” The St. Albans Daily Messenger, September 3, 1903, page 6; “Enosburgh Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, September 7, 1903, page 3. 11 “Enosburg Falls,” The St. Albans Daily Messenger, October 20, 1905, page 6. 12 “Enosburgh Falls is Up-To-Date; Allen H. Manley: Prominent Contractor and Builder in Enosburgh Falls— Structures He Has Erected,” The Burlington Free Press, January 26, 1907, page 19.
Section 8 page 19
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Allen H. Manley was born in September 1845 in Vermont, and married his second wife, Sarah Brigham Northrop, in 1889.13 The couple lived with her mother on Church Street in Enosburg Falls about the time the Perley House was being constructed. Late-19th-century records document Manley worked as a mechanic, but by the turn of the 20th century he was a well-established house builder with his own company. Established in 1872, the business was formed with George Sprague as Sprague & Manley, but soon changed to Manley & Towle, when W.M. Towle of Burlington purchased Sprague’s interest. In 1884, Manley became full owner. Following the death of Manley in 1920, the company, which was located “at the foot of Main Street,” was purchased “by several business men [sic] of this village, who have formed a company with $10,000 capital stock fully paid in….” The newly formed Island Manufacturing Company, Inc. planned to continue the production of lumber products. The holdings of the A.H. Manley Company consisted “of the island, a bit of wild woods, and the buildings fitted with machinery and a one-seventh interest in the water power developed by the dam that makes ‘the Falls.’ The new company comprise[d] some of the younger business men of the village.” James K. Perley, the son of Moses Perley, served as treasurer for the company.14
Architectural Style: Shingle Style and Colonial Revival style
The Moses P. Perley House and its associated carriage barn are notable examples of the amalgamation of popular styles—Shingle and Colonial Revival. Moses Perley was familiar with the poplar styles and W.R.B. Willcox was prolific in these designs, which were expressed throughout Burlington. The combination of the two styles showed acumen of the architect and prominence of the owner.
The Victorian-era Shingle style was uniquely an American adaptation of other traditional styles, borrowing and combining the Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque, and most especially the Colonial Revival. Expressing free-form and variable ornamentation, the Shingle style was considered primarily a high-fashion architect-designed style and did not spawn adapted vernacular housing like that evolving from the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. The style had its heyday between 1880 and 1900, with few examples dating from the first decade of the 20th century. It dominated the coastlines of Newport, Cape Cod, eastern Long Island, and Maine, often being publicized in fashionable architectural and style magazines nationally. Despite the publicity, and probably because of its unadaptable high-style design, the Shingle style was relatively uncommon beyond New England.15
The Colonial Revival style was a rebirth of the finely detailed elements of the Georgian and Federal styles, reintroduced at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia. Competing
13 Manley passed away in November 1920. 14 “Enosburg Falls: Island Manufacturing Co., Inc., Takes Over the A.H. Manley Business,” The St. Albans Daily Messenger, March 20, 1920, page 2. 15 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985), 290; The Shingle style was the architectural style chosen circa 1895 for the Orchard Street home of Perley’s business partner, Olin Merrill.
Section 8 page 20
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
with the dominant Queen Anne style, the reinterpretation was slow to emerge during the late 19th century. It would, however, become the most prominent architectural expression of the first half of the 20th century, freely accentuating or combining with aspects of other styles, as was presented at the Perley House. Unrestricted interpretation allowed the revival style to evolve, at first with ornate details in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to a simplified form with fewer, yet exaggerated details in the 1930 to 1950s.16
Completed in 1903, the two-and-a-half-story Moses P. Perley House epitomizes the uniting of the waning Shingle style of the 19th century and the emerging Colonial Revival style of the 20th century. Unlike most Victorian-era architectural styles, the Shingle style did not emphasize extensive decorative detailing at the entries, windows, entablatures, porches or on wall surfaces. Rather, as illustrated at the Perley House, the style presented complexity in cladding material like the diversity of clapboard siding and square-butt shingles that flare uninterrupted over the stringcourse dividing two stories, an asymmetrical intersecting hipped roof, curved bay window, and irregular yet free-flowing plan. The transition from the Victorian era to the revival style of the early 20th century, which strongly favored symmetry, is presented by the centrally placed Palladian window, squared bay windows, hipped roof dormers, molded architrave of the boxed cornice, and simple classical porch columns extending the width of the façade. All borrowed from the early phases of the Colonial Revival style, these are the most decorative details of the Perley House.
The living space of Shingle-style and Colonial Revival-style dwellings were commonly augmented by extensive porches. Architect Willcox designed the Perley House with a wrap- around porch that was to start at the center entry bay and extend around the southeast corner of the main block, which typified the Shingle style. His initial design, however, was not fully implemented. Rather, the porch extends the full width of the façade as favored by the 20th- century Colonial Revival style. The wrap-around design was converted into a separate hipped- roof carriage porch projecting from the south elevation. It is influenced by the Shingle style in form but dressed in the Colonial Revival.
On the interior, public spaces of the Moses P. Perley House, such as the spacious central entry hall with quarter-landing stair, music room, library, living room, and dining room, all present indicative design elements of the Victorian era. Moreover, the relationship of the spaces, both public and private, reflect the design philosophy of W.R.B. Willcox and, as the architect proclaimed, “answer honestly some actual requirements” of the Perley family.17 For example, Moses Perley was a director of Northern Telephone Company, overseeing Enosburg’s first telephone exchange. Therefore, it is not surprising that a built-in desk can be found under the stairs as a private area for speaking on the telephone. The library was supplied with built-in shelves and cushioned seating in the curved bay window, with a private entry to the rear of the
16 McAlester, 321-325; Rachel Carley, The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture, (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1994), 163-165 and 188-192. 17 “Address on Architecture: W.R.B. Willcox Speaks to Members of the Outlook Club,” The Burlington Free Press, February 25, 1902, page 5.
Section 8 page 21
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
house as well as access to the more public music room at the front of the house. Willcox positioned the living and dining rooms on either side of the carriage-entry hall, thereby restricting the flow of the many guests primarily to these public spaces. The first-floor private spaces were also thoughtfully placed, with a sewing room, elevator lift, serving pantry leading to the kitchen, milk room, and storeroom with refrigerator at the back of the main block and in the ell. Each of the bed chambers on the second floor was furnished with closets and built-in dressers and clothes hooks. The master bed chamber for Moses Perley was provided with its own bath and a second closet, with a private sitting room for Ella Perley taking in the nature light through the Palladian window.
The expansive public spaces feature paneled sliding doors, molded window and entry architraves, corniced ceiling molding, picture rails, paneled wainscoting, and ornate terra cotta brick mantels. Cross beams in a regular pattern ornament the ceilings of the living and dining rooms. The quarter-landing stair, likely the work of carpenter Allen Manley, is finished with fluted newels, fancy-turned balusters, molded gripper rail, and built-in bench lining the stringboard wall. Original gas light fixtures exist throughout the house, electrified by push button switches.
In 2014, current owner Jennifer Bright undertook restoration and rehabilitation of the house, which had been largely vacant since the death of Representative Perley in 1997. Her careful effort resulted in the restoration of character-defining features, reuse of historic elements like the light fixtures, and introduction of new items like kitchen cabinets that were designed to respect the original design. Used now as a bed-and-breakfast and home for the Bright family, the Perley House continues to read and function as a single-family dwelling, just as it was in 1903 when Moses P. Perley first occupied this high-style building.
The Moses P. Perley House and associated carriage barn are contributing resources in the Enosburg Falls State Register Historic District, which was designated in 1994 for its architectural and historical significance.
Architect: Walter Ross Baume Willcox
Walter Ross Baume Willcox, known professionally as W.R.B. Willcox, was an architect responsible for the designs of several major buildings in Vermont at the turn of the 20th century. Recalling the architect’s talent, the Burlington Free Press highlighted Willcox’s Burlington Savings Bank, with “its ‘richified’ red brick…. The building, with its jutting towers and arches, bears a close resemblance to the old guild houses in Brussels and Antwerp.” The newspaper article noted the similarity in style his other designs presented, “which included the Fletcher Free Library, the Medical College building at the University of Vermont and the Edmunds High School Building.”18
18 “W.R.B. Wilcox, Architect, Left Lasting Impression on Burlington,” The Burlington Free Press, August 10, 1957, page 10; Willcox’s name was incorrectly spelled “Wilcox” throughout the article.
Section 8 page 22
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
W.R.B. Willcox was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1869; his father was a Baptist minister.19 He received his undergraduate training at Kalamazoo College in Michigan and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He spent a year traveling through Europe to study design and was particularly influenced by England’s Jacobethan style and the Beaux Arts of Paris; elements of which were often incorporated into his work.
Upon graduation, Willcox returned to his native city to establish his practice. His first mention in the press was under the heading “The Problem of Electric Heating,” an article that outlined the practicability of electric heating with excerpts from Willcox’s discussion of the issues “in an entertaining manner…in the current issue of Electrical Engineer.”20 He frequently advertised in the Burlington Free Press under the heading “architects and engineers.” The first announcement appeared on May 1, 1895, noting Willcox had an office in room 5 at the YMCA Building.21 The initial reference to his work appeared in the Burlington Free Press in June 1896, announcing he was “preparing plans for the new residence which Warren G. Reynolds expected to erect this season on South Willard street near Pearl street.”22 An update to his activities was published in April 1897, noting he was relocating to the former office of Benjamin Cronyn at 154 College Street, and “was completing plans for the new home of C.P. Smith at the corner of South Willard and Maple streets.”23
Willcox’s tenure in Vermont was notable but short, stretching from 1895 to 1907 when he moved to Eugene, Oregon. During these twelve years, although his career began with residential assignments, Willcox left a distinct mark on institutional, ecclesiastical, and commercial architecture, especially in Burlington. Examples included Dr. W.H. Englesby’s Building at 135 College Street (1899) and the Burlington Savings Bank at 148 College Street (1900). He designed the Edmunds High School (1900), St. Mary’s Parochial School (1900), Adams School (1901), Carnegie Library (1902, Fletcher Free Library), and John Dewey Hall (1902) for the University of Vermont. The inventory of Willcox’s plans held by the Library of the University of Oregon document he designed the Printing Office and Store House for Wells, Richardson & Company (1894), G.S. Blodgett Company Building (1903), Archibald Street School (1904), Chittenden County Trust Company Bank (1906), Medical Department Building for the University of Vermont (1905), Municipal Lighting Plant, Surgical Building for the Mary Fletcher Hospital, and oversaw alterations to St. Patrick’s School and the First Congregational Church (1904). The inventory also includes the plans for twelve residential buildings, including the home of Moses P. Perley in Enosburg. Willcox designed his own residence in 1900 at 475 South Willard Street, where he lived with his wife Evalyn Porter and sister-in-law.
In St. Albans, Willcox is credited with designing the Welden National Bank (1901) the Parish Hall of St. Luke’s (1905), and the Van Camp Packing Company’s Condensed Milk Factory
19 The Reverend Dr. Monson A. Willcox was pastor of the Burlington Baptist Church; he died in 1902. 20 “The Problems with Electric Heating,” The Burlington Free Press, August 18, 1891, page 4. 21 Advertisement, Burlington Daily News, May 1, 1895, page 3. 22 “City and Vicinity,” The Burlington Free Press, June 23, 1896, page 8. 23 “City and Vicinity,” The Burlington Free Press, April 14, 1897, page 6.
Section 8 page 23
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
(1906). Willcox was the architect for the Church for the Universalist Congregation in Ludlow (1901), Masonic Temple in Rutland (1901), Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax (1902), Memorial Baptist Church in Middlebury (1905), and Enosburg Falls School in 1907. He also designed the Horticultural Building and the residence for the dean of horticulture at the Massachusetts State Agricultural College (1903-1905, now UMass Amherst).
When speaking to the members of the Outlook Club in 1902, Willcox explained “knowledge and understanding in architecture.” He pointed out that:
…a style of architecture is recognized by knowledge, style in architecture by understanding. Intelligent creation and judgement of architecture must be based not only upon knowledge of buildings of earlier times but upon a clear understanding of the special needs of the particular building. Knowledge supplies the materials and understanding makes the selection of the functions of the building. The use of forms simply because they conform to some historical style will not lift a building above adverse criticism. To result in a beautiful building such forms must answer honestly some actual requirements, because the final test of beauty is truth, and the combination of knowledge and understanding is essential to the expression and the recognition of truth.24
Upon relocating to the west coast in 1908, after a year once again studying architecture in Europe, Willcox opened his architectural firm in Seattle, Washington. In 1922, he moved to Eugene, Oregon, at the urging of fellow architect Ellis F. Lawrence, who hired him to serve as the head of the University of Oregon’s architecture program. While in this position, Willcox became known for advocating individualized and non-competitive approaches to instruction that were innovative for their time. An editorial written by a former student read “the light that he generated still illuminates the minds and the hearts and is reflected in the works of hundreds of men and women now coming into their own throughout the country. W.R.B. Willcox had that rare and beautiful clarity of mind, knowledge of truth, and understanding of the individual so desperately needed in our present weakened society.” The author challenged readers to ask why the architectural thinking and building of Eugene was advanced, stating “you will find one answer…W.R.B. Willcox and his architectural school at the university.25 Willcox would become professor emeritus in architecture at the University of Oregon. He had retired in 1943, a year after his wife’s death.
W.R.B. Willcox was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), held office as secretary and president of the Washington chapter of the AIA, and was director of the national group. He served on the Seattle Planning Commission and the Eugene Planning Commission, and worked with the U.S. Housing Bureau in Bremerton, Washington. He was a member of the jury of competition for the Kansas City Peace Memorial and for the Honolulu War Memorial.
24 “Address on Architecture: W.R.B. Willcox Speaks to Members of the Outlook Club,” The Burlington Free Press, February 25, 1902, page 5. 25 “Tribute to Teacher,” The Eugene Guard, August 24, 1953, page 8.
Section 8 page 24
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
His 1947 obituary noted he was the architect of the Scottish Rite Temple in Portland.26 The Library of the University of Oregon houses more than 50 project plans produced by Willcox after his relocation to the west coast. Although residential designs dominated his tenure in Washington and Oregon, he was also designing schools, churches, hotels, factories and warehouses, and commercial buildings like piano, furniture, and shoe stores; this was the opposite of his time in Vermont, where he had fewer residential contracts. Clearly his most notable architectural expression in Enosburg, Vermont, was the home of Moses P. Perley.
Owners and Occupants
The Shingle- and Colonial Revival-style house at 527 Main Street in Enosburg Falls, was designed and constructed for Moses Parmelee Perley. He was a prominent resident of the community, making his fortune as a hardware merchant and investor. The Enosburg Standard described him in 1897 as “one of Enosburg Falls’ most respected citizens.”27 Perley was born in Enosburgh to Laura A. Parada and David M. Perley in June 1844; he was the oldest of four children. On October 11, 1875, he married Ella Martha Stone, born in East Berkshire, Vermont, in December 1845.28 The family grew to include Laura (born/died 1877), Katherine Belle (born 1884), and James Kent (born 1886).29
According to the 1860 census records, Moses P. Perley began his career as a farm laborer, living with the Norman Woodard family of Enosburgh. At the age of 22, in 1866, he moved to Sheldon, working as a clerk in the store of D.C. Wead, who would offer Perley a partnership in the drug and grocery business by 1868. He relocated to Boston in 1871 to work as a traveling salesman for a grocery.30 Five years after he had married in 1875, Perley was residing with his in-laws in East Berkshire, Vermont, and working as a merchant. With a diverse interest in general merchandising, he aspired to have his own business and would establish the M.P. Perley & Company in 1874.31 The large store, located in Enosburg Falls, would become the largest general merchandise stores in Northern Vermont by the end of the 19th century; it was the first such business in Enosburgh.32 His son, James Kent Perley, would also work at the store.
The mercantile store was located in the first Perley Block, a wood-frame commercial building that burned in 1883. It was replaced that same year with a brick structure, the first brick
26 “Campus Loses Noted Figure: Professor Willcox, Emeritus, Dies,” The Oregonian, April 21, 1947. 27 Hon. M.P. Perley Shot, The Enosburg Standard, June 18, 1897, page 2. 28 Stone was born to James R. Stone of Waterbury, and Laura Howe Stone of Williamstown. A diabetic, she died in January 1917 of uremic poisoning and is interred in the Missisquoi Cemetery in Enosburg Falls. Vermont Death Records, Franklin County, 1917. 29 Laura Perley died of dysentery at the age of 7 months. 30 Lewis Cass Aldrich, editor, History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont, (Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co, 1891). 31 The date of the store’s founding is memorialized in the pediment of the current Perley Block at 356 Main Street, Enosburg Falls. 32 Vermont State Register of Historic Places, Enosburg Falls Historic District, 1994, #603-6.
Section 8 page 25
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
commercial block in downtown Enosburg Falls.33 The upper stories of this second building included the offices of dentists, doctors, and lawyers. The newspapers regularly advertised the offerings of the first-story business, “M.P. Perley & Co. The Department Store – We are Offering Many Substantial Bargains to our Customers.” They sold boots, shoes, groceries, clothing, dry goods, hardware, and was “the place to buy Coffee. Try their pure Java.”34 With the motto, “Best Goods at Lowest Prices,” the business advertised, “Our Dry Goods Department shows many new novelties at very reasonable prices. Staples and Fancies, Cottons and Woolens, Waist Patterns in handsome designs, Skirt Patterns in rich colorings and blacks. You cannot go amiss for you will be sure to find something to suit you if in want of anything for feminine wear.”35
A third Perley Building opened at 356 Main Street in February 1909, with three new stores described as “an ornament in any business community in the State and this town is proud of them.”36 The event brought about one thousand people upon the thriving community. The new building was “erected at a cost of $30,000” to replace the 1883 building that was destroyed by fire one year earlier on February 1, 1908. With commercial spaces conveniently located on the first floor, the building offered two office suites, two tenements and an assembly hall on the second floor. The basement provided “carpet and crockery sale rooms.” To ensure the new building did not succumb to the same fate as the 1895 structure, the new Perley Building was “divided into two parts by a fire wall extending from the ground to the roof.”37
The Burlington Free Press explained the principal manufacturing of the growing village of Enosburg Falls was patent medicines, such as Kendall’s Spavin Cure. The remedy was invented by Enosburg-native Dr. B.J. Kendall, and in 1879, the manufacturing company was formed with Carmi L. Marsh and Olin Merrill as principal owners. In 1881, Moses Perley became an active partner. The company provided a liniment for the treatment of bone spavin, an ailment causing lameness in horses. Production began “in a small, one-story frame building” that was replaced by a large three-story building on Main Street across from the home of Dr. Kendall and the future home site of Moses P. Perley.38 The successful company was incorporated in 1883 with a capital stock of $200,000; Perley was secretary.39 He initially held a fourth interest in the company, but with the 1884 retirement of Dr. Kendall, would own a third of the company.40 The Enosburg Standard printed that the company was “far superior to anything on the market to cure spavins or any other lameness, peculiar to horses.”41 The Spavin Cure company funded construction of the
33 Advertisements noting the Perley Block are first noted in the local newspapers in January 1895, “Enosburgh Falls,” Richford Journal and Gazette, January 11, 1895, page 3. 34 Advertisement, The Enosburg Standard, September 18, 1896. 35 Advertisement, The Enosburg Standard, October 2, 1896. 36 “Enosburgh Falls,” The Enosburg Standard, February 5, 1909, page 6. 37 “Enosburg Falls: One Thousand People Attend Opening of Stores in New Perley Building,” The St. Albans Messenger, February 5, 1909, page 2. 38 Dr. Kendall lived at 503 North Main Street; spavin cure was invented in his carriage house. 39 “Enosburgh Falls is Up-To-Date,” The Burlington Free Press, January 26, 1907, page 19. 40 With the rise of the automobile, the need for the liniment declined and the company closed in 1957. 41 “Dr. B.J. Kendall Co., Enosburg Falls,” The Enosburg Standard, November 6, 1896.
Section 8 page 26
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
village’s first water system and the fashionable opera house. The international success of the company allowed of Dr. Kendall’s investors to erect spacious high-style dwellings in Enosburgh.42
As Perley’s investments proved fruitful, he immediately gave back to the community. The Burlington Free Press announced in 1886 that the new church in South Franklin was to be ornamented by a fresco by a Mr. Andrews provided “through the liberality of M.P. Perley of Enosburgh Falls.”43 In 1886, he was elected to serve his neighbors in the Vermont House of Representatives for a two-year term.44 Ten years later, in October 1898, Montpelier’s Daily Journal presented a summary biography of newly elected state senators, noting Senator Perley was a Republican.45 During his term, Perley was responsible for introducing Senate Bill 4, amending the act incorporating the village of Enosburg Falls to create a Board of Trustees and Board of Water and Light Commissioners.46
The Enosburg Standard described Moses Perley’s renowned status in the community when recounting how he had been shot and seriously wounded at his home when resisting the demands of a burglar. The June 1897 crime was “without a parallel in the history of the town and considering all the circumstances particularly unaccountable.” The offender, Henry Chamberlin, told of his premeditated plan to “…get Mr. Perley at once and demand the money. I knew Mr. Perley was a rich man and thought if he lost a little money he would not miss it. I did not think he would resist. I never dreamed that he had so much grit. But Mr. Perley is a brave man….” Along with a detailed description of the harrowing event firsthand from the accused, the article reported that Perley was “one of Enosburg Falls’ leading citizens and has been identified in various business interests in the village for over twenty years. He is one of the proprietors of the Dr. B.J. Kendall Co. and senior and controlling member of the firm of M.P. Perley & Co. He has always been noted for his interest in charitable and benevolent work. He is loved and respected by all who know him….”47 Perley was one of the directors of Northern Telephone Co., overseeing the systems expansion with the 1905 acquisition of the Central Telephone Co. and construction of their new building on Main Street; together with Charles L. Ovitt, Perley personally funded the building’s construction in 1908. He also served as vice president of the directors for St. Albans Hospital and was an active member and trustee of the Vermont Bible Society.48
42 Carmi Marsh had a house erected two doors down from the new Spavin Cure Building at 552 North Main Street in 1878. Olin Merrill had an imposing house erected at 178 Orchard Street in 1895. 43 “Religious Intelligence,” The Burlington Free Press, November 15, 1886, page 5. 44 Perley’s name was misspelled as “Penley” in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian; “Some Representatives Elected, St. Johnsbury Caledonian, September 9, 1886, page 4. 45 “Biographical and Political Notes,” The Daily Journal, October 6, 1898, page 2. 46 “Legislative Matters: Senate—Bills Introduced,” The Cambridge Transcript, October 21, 1898, page 2. Acts and Resolves passed by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, 1898, page 212 (Act 190). 47 “Hon. M.P. Perley Shot,” The Enosburg Standard, June 18, 1897, page 2. 48 “Northern Telephone Co’s. New Line,” The St. Albans Daily Messenger, December 22, 1905, page 3; “Happenings in Vermont,” The Burlington Free Press, July 22, 1909, page 3.
Section 8 page 27
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
By June 1900, Perley owned his own residence in Enosburg Falls, which was free of mortgage. The family was supported by one servant, Ella Wells (born 1878), who lived at the house. The census records do not indicate the street where Perley lived, but St. Albans Weekly Messenger announced that he owned property on Archambault Street, which was sold in November 1905.49
The 1910 census records that Perley, then 65 years of age, was his own boss, working as a retail merchant dealing in hardware supplies. He owned his fashionable home at 527 Main Street free of mortgage; it was noted in the census as a farm rather than house. Perley lived with his wife of 34 years, two surviving children, and sister-in-law Belle C. Stone. Two servants served the family. Winnie R. Bry was born in 1884 in Canada, arriving in the United States in 1900. She worked alongside Ira G. Walker, who was born in 1889 and would leave service in 1914 to marry. Leslie Thomas worked as the family chauffer in the summer of 1913, going on to work at M.P. Perley & Co. in charge of village deliveries.
A diabetic, Mrs. Ella Stone Perley died in January 1917 of uremic poisoning at her home on Main Street. Attached to her Last Will and Testament was a promissory note for the sum of $400…and secured by mortgage and a residue in cash amounting to the sum of $1316.60 for distribution and decree” to her family. Her obituary as well as community notices record she was a prominent member of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, serving as delegate to the Northeastern branch meeting, and on the committee for reading courses for Woman’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church.50 Following his wife’s death, as recorded by the 1920 census, the widowed Perley continued to live with his two grown children and sister-in- law. Bessie A. Van Winkle, born in 1886, joined the household following her marriage to James Perley in 1921 in Washington, D.C.51
Moses Perley’s 1925 obituary in The Burlington Free Press mentioned the many out-of-town family and friends attending his funeral. The tribute recorded he had been a “member of the Dr. B.J. Kendall company” for 48 years, “was for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and of its official board. He was always deeply interested in the welfare of the church and community. He was a delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist church in 1896. He represented the town at one time and later was a senator from Franklin County.” Perley was remembered for his unflagging “interest in affairs…. He was a man greatly beloved in the community, whose influence will long outlive him.”52 Moses P. Perley was interred alongside his wife at the Missisquoi Cemetery.
The 1930 census records document that James Kent Perley and his sister, Katherine Belle Perley, continued to live in the house constructed by their father in 1903 despite his death. Aunt Belle C.
49 “Enosburg Falls,” The St. Albans Weekly Messenger, November 10, 1905, page 6. The house and lot sold for $600. 50 “Enosburg Falls,” The Burlington Free Press, June 4, 1903 and September 6, 1906; “Ella M. Perley,” The St. Albans Weekly Messenger, January 18, 1917. 51 Born in Pennsylvania, Bessie Perley died in 1979. 52 “Enosburg Falls: Funeral Services for Moses P. Perley Held at Late Home,” The Burlington Free Press, June 29, 1925, page 15.
Section 8 page 28
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Stone also lived in the Main Street house; the 86-year-old’s death certificate noted she was housekeeper for the Perley family.53 The census noted the house was valued at $10,000, which was more than twice the estimated value of neighboring residences. It also documented that the family, like many of their neighbors, owned a radio. The 1940 census shows the addition of a domestic servant, Bertha Eldred, who was born in Vermont in 1881.
James Perley, also known as J. Kent Perley, was a veteran of World War I.54 Registering for the draft in June 1917, he was transported overseas in July 1918 to serve in France; he returned to the United States in May 1919. He reached the rank of corporal before being discharged months after this return home. Prior to serving in the war, Perley was associated with the Vermont Marble company and the Citizens Telephone Company of Morrisville.55 The 1930 census and World War I draft records for Perley document that he supported the family by working as the proprietor of an orchard.56 The 1940 census clarified that James Perley, with three years of a college education, was proprietor of the family’s own apple orchard. Like his father, James Perley served Enosburgh in the Vermont legislature (1944) and was associated with the Dr. B.J. Kendall Co. of Enosburgh from 1925 until the company was closed in 1957. James Perley died in 1961. His sister, Katherine Belle Perley, known more commonly by her middle name, lived with her widowed sister-in-law until her own death of pneumonia in March 1963. The 78-year- old Perley did not have an occupation listed in any of the census records or on her death certificate. Bessie Perley would live to the age of 92, dying in 1979. She was interred in the Perley family plot of the Missisquoi Cemetery. According to her obituary, she graduated from Jefferson Medical College Hospital in Philadelphia as a registered nurse. Perley was a member of the United Methodist Church, the Order of Eastern Star, Martha Washington Chapter 44, and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 42.57 James and Bessie Perley had no children.
Upon the death of Bessie Perley, the imposing dwelling at 527 Main Street was deeded to Merrill Ernest Perley, a distant cousin of Moses P. Perley. Merrill Perley was born in 1915 in Enosburgh and supported his family working as a farmer.58 He served his community as a selectman, school director, fire warden, member of the Board of Civil Authority, and justice of the peace. Perley was a graduate of the University of Vermont (1938), serving as a trustee from 1959 to 1965. He was a legislator in the Vermont House of Representatives for Franklin County for 22 years. Owning several properties throughout Enosburgh, Representative Perley had moved to the Moses P. Perley House, where he lived until just before his death in 1997.59
In 2006, the Moses P. Perley House was offered for sale by the children and grandchildren of Merrill Perley. The sale would include some of the furniture belonging to the Perley families.
53 Stone, outliving her five siblings, died of heart failure due to alcoholism, diabetes, and pneumonia in 1945. 54 In April 1942, Perley completed a draft registration card; he was 55 years old and did not actively serve in the war. 55 “Enosburg Falls,” The St. Albans Weekly Messenger, October 5, 1911. 56 Perley’s 1917 draft card indicated he was self-employed merchant in the cranberry industry. 57 “Death Notices and Funerals Held,” The Burlington Free Press, May 3, 1979, page 8. 58 Perley was second cousin to U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords through his maternal grandmother. 59 “‘Common Sense’ lawmaker Perley dies at 82,” The Burlington Free Press, August 6, 1997, 15.
Section 8 page 29
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
The deteriorated single-family dwelling and carriage barn were purchased in December 2013 by Jennifer Neville Bright, who undertook an extensive restoration effort. The building is used as the home of the Bright family, with the second floor available as a bed-and-breakfast.
Section 8 page 30
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
______9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)
Newspapers The Cambridge Transcript, Cambridge, Vermont, 1898 The Daily Journal, Montpelier, Vermont, 1898 The Burlington Daily News, Burlington, Vermont, 1895 The Burlington Free Press, Burlington, Vermont, 1886-1997 The Enosburg Standard, Enosburg, Vermont, 1896-1909 The Eugene Guard, Eugene, Oregon, 1953 The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, 1947 Richford Journal and Gazette, Richford, Vermont, 1895 The St. Albans Daily Messenger, St. Albans, Vermont, 1903-1920 The St. Albans Weekly Messenger, St. Albans, Vermont, 1905-1917 St. Johnsbury Caledonian, St. Johnsbury, Vermont, 1886
Books, Articles, and Nominations Acts and Resolves passed by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, 1898 (Act 190). Montpelier, Vermont. Aldrich, Lewis Cass, editor. History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co, 1891. Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1994. McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Vermont State Register of Historic Places, Enosburg Falls Historic District, 1994, #603. ______
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested ____ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #______recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # ______recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ______
Primary location of additional data: __X__ State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government __X__ University ____ Other
Sections 9-end page 31
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Name of repository: __University of Oregon ______
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): __NA______
______10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property 4.5 acres
Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates
Latitude/Longitude Coordinates (decimal degrees) Datum if other than WGS84:______(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places)
1. Latitude: 44.909939 Longitude: -72.803899
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)
The Moses P. Perley House is located at 527 Main Street in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. The residential lot fronts the street at 158 feet, with a narrow rectangular footprint extending east/west with a depth of 1558 feet.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)
The boundaries reflect the current parcel known as 527 Main Street, Enosburg Falls, Vermont. This was the parcel historically associated with the Moses P. Perley House and its associated carriage barn.
______11. Form Prepared By
name/title: Laura V. Trieschmann organization: Vermont State Historic Preservation Office street & number: 1 National Life Drive, Deane Davis Building, 6th floor city or town: Montpelier state: Vermont zip code:05620 e-mail: [email protected] telephone: 802-828-3222 date: March 10, 2020
Sections 9-end page 32
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
______
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
• Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
• Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map.
• Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)
Photographs Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels (minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property: Moses P. Perley House, 527 Main Street City or Vicinity: Enosburg County: Franklin State: Vermont
Photographer: Laura V. Trieschmann Date Photographed: November 2017
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of camera:
1 of 31 View of house at east elevation (2014 image), looking west
2 of 31 View of house at northeast corner, looking southwest from Main Street
3 of 31
Sections 9-end page 33
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
View of house at north elevation, looking southwest
4 of 31 View of house with ell at northwest corner, looking southeast
5 of 31 View of house with ell at southwest corner, looking northeast
6 of 31 View of house with ell at south elevation, looking northeast
7 of 31 View of house at southeast corner and stable, looking northwest
8 of 31 View of house looking west; Undated historic photograph copyrighted by F.M. Carpenter
9 of 31 View of first-floor central entry hall, looking south
10 of 31 View of first-floor central entry hall with bench and built-in desk, looking south
11 of 31 View of first-floor central entry hall with front door, looking northeast
12 of 31 View of first-floor central entry hall and music room, looking southeast
13 of 31 View of first-floor library from music room, looking west
14 of 31 View of first-floor library, looking south
15 of 31 View of first-floor living room, looking southeast
16 of 31 View of first-floor living room, looking south
17 of 31 View of first-floor dining room from hall, looking west
Sections 9-end page 34
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
18 of 31 View of first-floor corridor to service ell from corridor, looking west
19 of 31 View of first-floor kitchen in ell, looking southwest
20 of 31 View of first-floor kitchen in ell, looking west
21 of 31 View of first-floor servant’s stair, looking northwest
22 of 31 View of second-floor landing hall, looking southwest
23 of 31 View of second-floor landing hall, looking northeast
24 of 31 View of second-floor landing hall, looking north
25 of 31 View of second-floor northeast chamber, looking southwest
26 of 31 View of second-floor southeast chamber, looking northwest
27 of 31 View of second-floor service area corridor, looking west
28 of 31 View of stable at east elevation, looking northwest
29 of 31 View of stable at northwest corner and house with ell, looking east
30 of 31 View of stable at southwest corner, looking northeast
31 of 31 View of property from stable, looking west
Sections 9-end page 35
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Sections 9-end page 36
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 1: Moses P. Perley House Plans (east elevation), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Figure 2: Moses P. Perley House Plans (north elevation), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Sections 9-end page 37
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 3: Moses P. Perley House Plans (west elevation), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Figure 4: Moses P. Perley House Plans (south elevation), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Sections 9-end page 38
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 5: Moses P. Perley House Plans (first floor), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Sections 9-end page 39
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 6: Moses P. Perley House Plans (second floor), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Sections 9-end page 40
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 7: Moses P. Perley House Plans (third floor and roof plan), W.R.B. Willcox architect, 1902-1903 (in possession of Jennifer Bright)
Sections 9-end page 41
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 8: Moses P. Perley House Photography Key (exterior)
Sections 9-end page 42
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 9: Moses P. Perley House Photography Key (first floor)
Sections 9-end page 43
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Moses P. Perley House Franklin County, Vermont Name of Property County and State
Figure 10: Moses P. Perley House Photography Key (second floor)
Sections 9-end page 44