Chester Depot in Windsor County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
Chester Academy
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District No. 20 Central School
Photographed by Dennis Gilkenson, May 6, 2018
1. Chester Academy Marker
Chester Academy
A Legislative Act created Chester Academy on October 30, 1814, and it opened March 13, 1815 on this site. A unique hexagonal cupola crowned the Federal-style brick building. Local families financed the school, with the Chester Masons contributing the addition of a third story for lodge meetings. The co-educational Academy ranked among the earliest institutes offering secondary-level education in Vermont, with a Classical curriculum attracting 150 or more students annually. Among the graduates were college presidents, congressmen, Civil War generals, and a Vermont governor. Enrollment declined with the emergence of public high schools in the region, and the Academy closed in 1873. The building was razed in mid-1881.
District No. 20 Central School
The present brick building was erected in 1881 for School District No. 20 behind the site of the Chester Academy. Displaying a distinctive cupola, the Italianate-style building was considered an ornament to the village. In 1885, Chesters first public high school opened on the second floor. The schools progressive curriculum attracted students from outside Chester. Its first female principal was installed in 1891. The Central High School remained here until the opening of a larger high school on Depot Hill in 1912. This building served as an elementary school into the 1950s, and then as the junior high school until 1970. The Chester Historical Society and Museum now occupy the former school.
Erected 2017
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 43° 15.882′ N, 72° 35.934′ W. Marker is in Chester, Vermont, in Windsor County. It is in Chester Depot. It is on Main Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 218 Main St, Chester VT 05143, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Connecticut River Valley and in the Green Mountains. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chester (within shouting distance of this marker); Merritt Austin Edson (within shouting distance of this marker); Chester Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Dennis Gilkenson, May 6, 2018
2. Side Two of Chester Academy Marker
Photographed by Dennis Gilkenson, May 6, 2018
3. Wide View of Chester Academy Marker
Photographed by Dennis Gilkenson, May 6, 2018
4. Former Central School Building
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2018, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. This page has been viewed 1,089 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 8, 2018, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
