Pleasant View Farm's White Farmhouse / UVM Miller Research and Educational Center

The land forming the University of Vermont Miller Research and Educational Center has been used for agricultural purposes since 1763, when it was deeded to Jacob Kirbee by Royal Land Grant. By 1823, Eleazer H. Deming, one of the wealthiest men in Chittenden County, owned the farm, which was expanded by his son-in-law to include a sawmill. By 1862, James Shedd had purchased Deming’s farm, naming it Pleasant View Farm. Shedd was a Burlington merchant and director of the State Agricultural Society. His farm developed a reputation for producing award-winning cattle, sheep, and horses. A 2½-story Italianate-style house, commonly known as the White Farmhouse, was built c. 1870 for the farm manager. (continued on other side) In 1944, the University of Vermont acquired Pleasant View Farm and the White Farmhouse. In the spirit of Shedd’s model farm, the property was adapted to serve as the UVM Paul R. Miller Research and Education Center for the development and promotion of agriculture in Vermont and New England. Shedd’s barns were replaced by new agricultural teaching and research facilities, including modern free-stall and stanchion barns. Together with a bungalow moved here from the main campus in 1951, the White Farmhouse continued to provide housing for UVM farm employees until the early 1990s. It was razed in 2015 to allow for the modern expansion of the Miller Research and Educational Center facilities.