Orleans County Grammar School and Prospect Hill Observatory

Orleans County Grammar School and Prospect Hill Observatory. . , The Orleans County Grammar School was built at the foot of Prospect Hill in 1823 by William Baxter, a prominent citizen of Brownington. He asked that worship services for the Congregational Church be held on the second floor until a permanent church could be provided. , The original building was likely red in color (red paint was the least expensive and traces have been found) and had a belfry and enclosed staircase on the rear but no porch as it does today. Records indicate that Alexander Twilight had an office on the second floor, a post from which he was able to keep a sharp eye on his pupils. , The building continued to furnish classroom space until 1859 at which time the Orleans County Grammar School was closed. Ten years later, the belfry was removed and the building was moved down the road where it became a Grange Hall. In 2016, the Orleans County Historical Society helped to have the building returned to its original site. , From 1823 until the Orleans County Grammar School was closed in 1859 students would often climb to the top of Prospect Hill in the evenings to sing hymns, worship and look out at the view. In the 1890's, William Barstow Strong, apparently remembering those days fondly, built an observatory at the top of the hill. Eventually, it fell into ruin, but in 1975 it was reconstructed as a Town Bicentennial Project. You can enjoy the views of the surrounding countryside: Lake Willoughby Gap in the Southeast, Lake Memphremagog in the North and Jay Peak to the West. On clear days it is possible to see Mount Mansfield in the Southwest and the White Mountains to the East.