A History of UVM Alumni House: Burlington’s Victorian Time Capsule Researched and Written by Dan Brainerd ’21 and Emma LaRose ’21 FOREWORD UVM Alumni House, originally constructed in 1892, is a historical gem. The beauty of the building naturally draws our guests in; the comfort and good company often convinces them to stay a while. Such a captive audience gives us the opportunity to creatively showcase our history, the history of the University of Vermont, and our historical place in the greater Burlington area and in Vermont. This book offers a unique perspective by using Alumni House as a lens through which to explore a variety of historical themes and stories. One of the distinct pleasures of my role is the opportunity that I have to collaborate with undergraduate students on a daily basis. The breadth of knowledge, experience, and passion that exists within our campus community is a treasure that has already offered so much to Alumni House, and as we continue to grow and engage with our students we will surely become ever richer. This spring, I asked our Historical Research Interns to complete an ambitious project: write a book about Alumni House. Emma LaRose ’21 and Dan Brainerd ’21 had approximately twelve weeks to research, propose topics, devise a structure, and then dig into the actual process of writing. (And rewriting, and editing, and rewriting again…) They spent countless hours researching, writing, revising, and restructuring their work. In the meantime, they also had to learn exactly how to make their writing come to life in the form of a real book. From those early drafts to the final print, what they have produced here is a reflection of their supportive teamwork, dedication, and – of course – their passion for the study of history. All of the writing in this book is original, and attributed to Emma and Dan. I could not be more pleased to showcase their hard work here in the pages that follow. 2 The Historical Research Internship is a product of collaboration between Alumni House, the UVM History Department, and the College of Arts & Sciences Internship Program. Dan and Emma have been supported by professors, peers, and a university that values offering them hands- on experience. They have also been wholeheartedly supported by the UVM Foundation and the Alumni Association team. Alan Ryea, Sarah Lenes, Jessica Dudley, Andrea Van Hoven, Eileen Dudley, Kathy Erickson, Catherine Meyer, Jayne Airoldi, and Kim McCrae have all offered support for this project in the form of knowledge and wisdom, enthusiasm for the vision of this internship, or simply in their earnest commitment to making our students feel welcome. I feel compelled to steal a little bit of this preface to acknowledge the amazing team that continues to be so supportive of student success at Alumni House. As a former history major, it is more than a treat to work every day in such a historic building. Here at Alumni House, you can literally reach out and touch living history. This book will guide you on a historical journey through the house, and offer a glimpse of what life was like 127 years ago. I encourage you to stay a while and explore. The UVM Alumni House is a true time capsule, and it stands now as a testament to the value of historical memory. Patrick Maguire Operations Manager UVM Alumni House 3 PREFACE The central theme of this book is the history of Alumni House, previously known as the Delta Psi House and before that, the Edward Wells House. This house will serve as our starting point for a deeper investigation into this land, Burlington, and the UVM community in the late nineteenth century. Each chapter explores a different subject. Some of these subjects are broad, while some more directly relate to this house and the family who once lived here. This book offers a unique look at the Victorian Era with a distinct focus that separates it from other historical literature on the era. A story is a necessary part of any place. It tells us how that place came into existence and how it has become what it is now. This book gives the UVM Alumni House a story. It also gives stories to individuals and groups during the Victorian Era. History is the study of the past. The Alumni House is part of the past in the sense that its architecture, design, and documents can teach us about another time, as well as the social and cultural influences that shaped people’s lives in the area during that period. We had a lot of fun working on this book, but it was also quite challenging at times. Probably our biggest challenge was time. We only had one semester to research, decide on a structure for this book, and then actually write it. Additionally, we both had classes with work that demanded our attention as well. With more time, we would have liked to delve further into Burlington history and learn more about the individuals that really shaped this city in the nineteenth century. Some of the fun aspects of this process were our multiple trips to UVM Special Collections where we looked at photos. Holding these materials in our gloved hands was a mystical experience because there we were, two people in the twenty-first century, holding in our hands photos that 4 have been around for over a century. This particular experience really brought us back to why we became history majors in the first place. Another aspect of this experience that we really enjoyed was coming to the house and getting to utilize it as a primary source on homes of the Victorian Era. This was such a different experience than being in a class learning about the study of history. We were able to apply skills that we learned in our history classes, but we did not conduct this in a classroom setting. That was probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of this project because after being in school for so many years, it is fun to experience a different way of learning. Overall, this process was very enlightening and we learned a lot about the study of history. Even a small case study such as the Alumni House can teach us a great deal about history, culture, and change over time. We hope that you enjoy this book. We learned so much from our research and we are excited to share this history with you. Emma LaRose ’21 Dan Brainerd ’21 Historical Research Interns UVM Alumni House April 2019 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book exists due to the vision, support, wisdom, and shared expertise of many individuals who have helped us along the way. We are incredibly grateful and would like to take this opportunity to thank each of them. We would first like to thank the CAS Internship Program and the UVM history department for helping to make this internship possible in the first place. Patrick Maguire is the operations manager at the Alumni House and he deserves a great deal of credit for all the help he gave us. Patrick was our de facto mentor and gave us his original vision for this project. Thank you, Patrick, for the countless words of inspiration, edits and believing in our ability when we were lost. We couldn’t have written this book without you. We also want to thank many of the other folks at the Alumni House for all they helped us with. A huge thank you to Jessica Dudley for helping us to understand all that goes into marketing for a project like this. There’s a lot to know, and Jessica was a wonderful guide throughout all of this and is always smiling and happy to help, or just to talk. A huge thank you to Kathy Erickson as well, who helped us understand the vast amount of information an author should consider while looking at the layout of a book. Kathy, you were pivotal in helping us figure out how to craft this book and make it more exciting for those reading it. Thanks for all of your positivity and support. Finally, we’d like to thank everyone in the UVM community who helped this book come to life. Prudence and the team of archivists at Special Collections were fundamental in the making of this book. They were the ones who helped us with research and finding quality historical photographs to include in our book. The Special Collections archivists are amazing people, a huge thank you to them. Finally, thanks to the curatorial team at the Fleming Museum for helping us 6 understand how public history differs from academic history. Without meeting with these nice folks, we wouldn’t have known how to write this kind of book. 7 CHAPTER 1 Edward Wells: Home and Family On July 23, 1886, Effie Wells purchased this piece of land at 61 Summit Street, nestled in the Hill Section of Burlington. Within six years she and her husband, Edward, had completed their beautiful mansion on the hill with sweeping views of Lake Champlain. The house would stand as a testament to the splendor that wealth could bring in the Victorian era, and would serve as a home for Effie, Edward, and his daughter, Anna. What is it that makes a house a home though? Is it nights spent in the company of family and friends? Coming home and sharing a meal with loved ones? Or is it simpler: do the people sharing a house make it a home? Since 1892, this house has been a home for many: The Wells family, generations of Delta Psi brothers, and now for UVM alumni and friends.