Building Heritage

03/11/2026

Friendly reminder that I'll be geeking out about Charles Miller and the massive barns in Chittenden and Addison County that he and his crew built. We'll take a close look at Richmond's "East Monitor Barn" and the restoration work that's gone into it, as well as some of Miller's other barns in the area that you might be familiar with.

Join us next Wednesday March 18th from 6:30-8 at Yestermorrow- 7865 Main Street Waitsfield, VT. This is a free event.

03/01/2025

We are delighted to be offering five Timber Framing Pre-Apprenticeship Crew Member positions in collaboration with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps this season!🛠 Members will spend 17 weeks developing skills in historical preservation and new timber frame construction. We are so excited to partner with VYCC and bring this opportunity to life! The goal of the pre-apprenticeship is to place all crew members into high-quality jobs in timber framing, carpentry, or construction. If you have been interested in learning more about one of these career paths this may be the opportunity for you!

For more information and to apply check out the link in our bio or go to vycc.org/join-us/positions/

Thank you to Cam Russell for creating this awesome promotional video!

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

02/07/2025

Do you know a young person interested in becoming a timber framer? Building Heritage and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is piloting a paid, five person pre-apprenticeship program June-October 2025. This will feed into a larger Timber Framers Guild apprenticeship program with additional training at Guild affiliated companies to achieve journeyworker status for interested participants.

https://www.vycc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-TF-Pre-Apprenticeship-PD_FINAL-1.pdf



Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

01/09/2025

One of my highlights of 2024 was having the opportunity to teach a variety of folks both in the classroom and out in the field. Here is Alex's story, a former FedEx driver who was really a builder/restorer at heart and just needed the right chance.

This year, we will have a formal pre-apprenticeship program where over the course of 17 weeks, five young folks will build a new timber frame and restore another. More details will be coming out about this soon with the applications to go live later in January.

The program, established in 2021, is a collaboration between four local nonprofits: ReSOURCE, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Vermont Works for Women and Audubon Vermont

11/14/2024

Looking for a distraction? You could learn about Charles Miller and the great big barn he built for Moses Sheldon Whitcomb in 1901, plus some other geeky stuff.

From the Chittenden County Historical Society:The presentation by Eliot Lothrop will explore the land accumulation of the Whitcomb family during the second h...

10/17/2024

SHORT ANNUAL CHITTENDEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING FOLLOWED BY A SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY ELIOT LOTHROP ON BUILDER CHARLES MILLER & THE 'MONITOR BARN.' SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 AT 2 PM, THE BROWNELL LIBRARY, ESSEX JUNCTION

Don't miss Eliot Lothrop's talk “Moses Whitcomb's "Monitor Barn" and Other Iconic Structures Built by Charles Miller.”

The presentation will explore the land accumulation of the Whitcomb family during the second half of the 19th century, culminating in Moses' ownership- the peak of dairy farming at the farm. Eliot Lothrop, President, Building Heritage, LLC. Historic Building Preservation & Timber Framing, Huntington, Vermont.
www.buildingheritage.com.

In 1901, Moses had the East Monitor Barn built, hiring the 35 year old Charles Miller, from North Ferrisburgh, to frame it. Born into a family of timber framers, Miller had already built several monumental barns around Chittenden and Addison County. We'll look at several of Miller's other barns and explore pages of his work journals, which have opened up some fascinating connections.

Parking is to the side of the Main Entrance. Please enter through the parking lot door. The library is closed on Sunday.

Eliot received a CCHS Research Grant to help underwrite this research in 2023.

When: Sunday, October 20, 2 pm
Where: Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction. Parking in rear. Entrance is in the rear. Do not go to the Main Library Entrance.
Refreshments Served.
Free. Open to the public.

10/09/2024

If you follow this page, you probably already know that I’m obsessed with the East Monitor Barn and the history of both the Whitcomb family that commissioned it and Charles Miller, the 35 year old from North Ferrisburgh that built it. Join me on October 20th and I’ll share with you what I’ve discovered. I’m biased, but I think it’s pretty fascinating stuff.

SHORT ANNUAL MEETING FOLLOWED BY A SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY ELIOT LOTHROP ON BARN ARCHITECT CHARLES MILLER & THE 'MONITOR BARN.' SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 AT 2 PM, THE BROWNELL LIBRARY, ESSEX JUNCTION

Don't miss Eliot Lothrop's talk “Moses Whitcomb's "Monitor Barn" and Other Iconic Structures Built by Charles Miller.”

The presentation will explore the land accumulation of the Whitcomb family during the second half of the 19th century, culminating in Moses' ownership- the peak of dairy farming at the farm. Eliot Lothrop, President, Building Heritage, LLC. Historic Building Preservation & Timber Framing, Huntington, Vermont.
www.buildingheritage.com.

In1901, Moses had the East Monitor Barn built, hiring the 36 year old Charles Miller, from North Ferrisburgh, to frame it. Born into a family of timber framers, Miller had already built several monumental barns around Chittenden and Addison County. We'll look at several of Miller's other barns and explore pages of his work journals, which have opened up some fascinating connections.

Parking is to the side of the Main Entrance. Please enter through the parking lot door. The library is closed on Sunday.

Eliot received a CCHS Research Grant to help underwrite this research in 2023.

When: Sunday, October 20, 2 pm
Where: Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction. Parking in rear. Entrance is in the rear. Do not go to the Main Library Entrance.
Refreshments Served.
Free. Open to the public.

09/26/2024

Hi all, sorry it’s been so long since I updated folks on our progress. It’s been a long, hot summer up on that roof, but we’ve managed to get through the whole thing structurally now and got it dried in on Tuesday.

I’ll share more detailed posts of the process, but we started removing the first slates back in April and have now gone through the entire roof, removing all of the sheathing to chase down rotted rafters, plates and purlins. Now, we’ve got structural repairs completed, new pine sheathing on the roof, and over half of the roof re-slated, with the salvaged slates up on the monitor and new matching slates on the main roof below.

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Stewardship Slate, LLC

05/13/2024

Just one more day and we will have the monitor roof dried in, with new roof sheathing installed and rafters replaced as needed throughout. Next come the odds and ends finishing out the monitor roof prep and then getting replacement timbers for the main roof precut in preparation for it getting opened up next month.

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

05/04/2024

I had a great site visit today to Breadtree Farms, just over the border with New York from Rupert. Breadtree is stewarding 15,000 Chestnut trees at four area farms and the barn that I’m consulting with them on is to become the largest Chestnut flour processing facility in the country. They’ve got a really great crew of intelligent and hardworking folks practicing some amazing agroforestry. I picked up ten saplings to plant tomorrow!

https://breadtreefarms.com

04/27/2024

We had a fine day of rafter replacement today. Not surprising, it takes a lot longer to replace rafters- even 12’ers- at that height, and we have two 85’ hydraulic machines let alone all the rest! I’m in awe of Charles Miller and his crew every day we work on this masterpiece.

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

04/23/2024

I wasn’t expecting being on camera today but it went okay anyhow…at least I shaved a few days ago.

The awardees have been announced for the 2024 Barn Preservation Grants which will help preserve old barns across Vermont.