Hugh Henry Family Homestead

This homestead represents over two centuries of residency by the Hugh Henry family. The main house was built for Thomas Kimball c.1780 during the Federal architectural period with a Georgian plan. In 1803, Hugh Henry (1767-1847) of Acworth, N.H. purchased the imposing house; he was a merchant, innkeeper, land dealer, and private banker. His only son, Hugh Horatio Henry (1814-69), was a nominal farmer, banker, Chester Academy president, State senator, U.S. Marshal, Vermont Valley Railroad founder/president, and abolitionist champion of Abraham Lincoln at the 1860 Republican Convention. His successes and large family led to the c.1860 addition to the house of a large ell plus fashionable Greek Revival ornament. (Continued on other side) The third resident Hugh Henry (1838-1920) was a lawyer and Judge of Probate, State senator, bank president, Vermont G.A.R. commander, Vermont Soldiers’ Home board president, and vice president of the Vermont Valley Railroad. In 1898, President McKinley appointed him to serve as U.S. Pension Agent. One of his five sisters, Clara Henry (1843-99) augmented the homestead in 1890 with the building of the adjacent cottage designed in Gothic Revival form with Queen Anne stylistic features. The fourth Hugh Henry (1883-1964) moved into the cottage in 1910, and added a large rear wing the following year. After the sale in 1965 of the main house, the cottage became the residence of the fifth and sixth Hugh Henrys.