Community

An old public house and its steward keep memories fresh

By JEFF EPSTEIN
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WINDSOR, Vt. — When things get old, they don’t have the freshness and sparkle of something new. It can be easy for people to overlook the history that took place in an old building. Even George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia began to fall apart until a local preservation group was founded to save it. A similar case study exists here in Windsor, in a modest building that people drive past every day on Route 5 called the Old Constitution House. 

The building was originally a public house for many years, called West’s Tavern, founded by Elijah West. It served as a tavern along the road, and nobody cared about the building much; its only other notable use was as the site of the Vermont Journal’s offices until 1847. The building was, however, the place where the Republic of Vermont was founded in 1777, and the signing of the constitution that took place there gave the building the name it has today. 

Why would a government document be signed in a pub? “There probably weren’t too many buildings here in 1777,” says Jim Hasson, the state guide who shows off the place on weekends during the tourist season. 

Hasson, 91, knows something about history, having originally come to Windsor after World War II. Unlike some docents that dress in colonial garb, he proudly wears the cap and jacket that recalls his service as a plumber in the U.S. Navy Seabees (construction brigade). But he wants his visitors to know the story of the Old Constitution House. Recently, he told the house’s story for a small group of visiting tourists, explaining that Vermont was caught between the interest and claims of New York and New Hampshire for years until it was organized as an independent republic in 1777. The constitution signed here, modeled on Pennsylvania’s, is what gives Windsor its claim as the “birthplace of Vermont.” Among other things, the constitution declared that “all persons are born equally free and independent,” and specifically prohibited slavery; about 30 free blacks were in Vermont at the time.

“The theme of everything was freedom,” Hasson said.

It wasn’t until 1791, after the Revolution was settled, that Vermont joined the Union as the 14th state.

The building later became a warehouse and a site for other businesses. It eventually began to fall into disrepair. But before it was demolished, the Old Constitution House Associated was formed in the early 20th century to save it. The house was restored and painted white. Its original location was apparently not considered that important, as the house was moved on two different occasions and now sits on donated land. It was donated to the state in 1961 and is now maintained as a Vermont historic site.

Few things in the Old Constitution House house are original to it, but the old chairs, tables and furnishings are faithful to the 18th and 19th centuries, and are sourced locally. Many of the families who lived in Windsor during that time are still around today, Hasson said. “Everything you see in the house was donated by people in Windsor.”

Tourists occasionally visit during the season, including some California and Nashville who recently toured the house and enjoyed Hasson’s presentation. “Most [visitors] just see that sign out there,” Hasson said, pointing to the signs and historical marker out front.

But things seem to be changing now, he said. “This year has been very slow.” A few local school groups have toured the old house, Hasson said. But many people who live in Windsor today have never visited it.

Hasson has seen many things change over time. Although originally from New Jersey, he found his way to New England to visit friends after the war, and Windsor is the “only place I got to where I wanted to stay,” he said.

He did go south again for work in 1949, but returned here in 1958. He later served a tour in Vietnam, although he had a family by that time. The Navy needed him. Overall, Hasson served the Seabees and its reserves for 42 years until he retired at age 60.

He still wears his Seabees cap and jacket as he talks about the various rooms in the old tavern. When he considers the historical nature of his tours, Hasson says that he does it because history is important. “If we forget our history, we are bound to repeat it.”

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