Primary Peace Corps Training Site

In 1961 President Kennedy launched the Peace Corps, declaring: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” Principal architect and first director, Sargent Shriver contracted The Experiment in International Living (founded 1932) in Vermont to design and deliver trainings for volunteers. Trainings began at The Experiment’s Putney campus and moved here in 1962 to the Sandanona estate (built 1903). It served as the primary training center for the Peace Corps and later became the School for International Training when trainings moved in-country in 1977. The Peace Corps and The Experiment remain powerful examples of America’s commitment to international peace, intercultural understanding, and improving lives.