Near Brookfield in Orange County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
Major Ira Day
Hosteler and Turnpike Investor
Photographed by Dennis Gilkenson, April 15, 2023
1. Major Ira Day Marker
Inscription.
Major Ira Day. Hosteler and Turnpike Investor. Ira Day (1777-1853) was one of the earliest settlers of South Barre. A prominent tavern and storekeeper, he was the towns first postmaster (1801), operated a grist mill on Stevens Branch, and served as a director of the Bank of Montpelier. In 1803, Day chartered a turnpike through the Williamstown gulf that would become the main thoroughfare to Massachusetts. The successful turnpike, finished in 1825, enabled the efficient shipment of goods throughout New England. The Marquis de Lafayette traveled on the turnpike and visited Ira Days tavern during his 1825 tour of the U.S. With Mahlon Cottrell. Day owned the Pavilion Hotel in Montpelier, and created the first stage and mail route between Burlington and Boston.
Ira Day (1777-1853) was one of the earliest settlers of South Barre. A prominent tavern and storekeeper, he was the towns first postmaster (1801), operated a grist mill on Stevens Branch, and served as a director of the Bank of Montpelier. In 1803, Day chartered a turnpike through the Williamstown gulf that would become the main thoroughfare to Massachusetts. The successful turnpike, finished in 1825, enabled the efficient shipment of goods throughout New England. The Marquis de Lafayette traveled on the turnpike and visited Ira Days tavern during his 1825 tour of the U.S. With Mahlon Cottrell. Day owned the Pavilion Hotel in Montpelier, and created the first stage and mail route between Burlington and Boston.
Erected 2022 by Vermont Division for Historic Preservarion.
Location. 44° 4.155′ N, 72° 34.107′ W. Marker is near Brookfield, Vermont, in Orange County. It is on Main Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 619-637 VT-14, Brookfield VT 05036, 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2023, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. This page has been viewed 646 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 16, 2023, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
