Major Ira Day

Hosteler and Turnpike Investor Ira Day (1777-1853) was one of the earliest settlers of South Barre. A prominent tavern and storekeeper, he was the town’s first postmaster (1801), operated a grist mill on Stevens Branch, and served as a director of the Bank of Montpelier. In 1803, Day chartered a turnpike through the Williamstown gulf that would become the main thoroughfare to Massachusetts. The successful turnpike, finished in 1825, enabled the efficient shipment of goods throughout New England. The Marquis de Lafayette traveled on the turnpike and visited Ira Day’s tavern during his 1825 tour of the U.S. With Mahlon Cottrell, Day owned the Pavilion Hotel in Montpelier, and created the first stage and mail route between Burlington and Boston.