Built in 1771 by prominent Bennington resident and Revolutionary War Capt. Elijah Dewey, the Walloomsac Inn is the oldest lodging establishment in Vermont.
After over 30 years as a private residence, the Walloomsac Inn had fallen into disrepair, but now the ramshackle inn at the heart of Old Bennington is set to be restored and opened to the public.
The inn was purchased June 25 by Rafe Churchill and Casey Sunderland through a new joint venture called Place in Mind, which aims to restore historically significant properties in the Northeast and across the country. The co-founders are also part of the leadership team for the architecture and interior design firm Hendricks Churchill, and Churchill is an alumnus of Bennington College.
“Our mission is really to resurrect these historic structures,” Sunderland said. “Hospitality happens to be a really great backbone to do that on, because you can generate revenue and open up the experience to so many more people than if it were just a private residence.”
The restoration project will be a “significant undertaking,” so there is no set timeline yet for opening, Sunderland said. However, the duo plans to honor the existing property structure during renovations and bring the Walloomsac Inn back to its original glory shown in old postcards and photos from decades past, he said.
Along with the Walloomsac Inn, Sunderland and Churchill acquired the Mount Anthony Seminary, a former school in Old Bennington. The co-founders plan to rebuild the historic bell tower on the property and open the building as a smaller, six-bedroom lodging near the Walloomsac Inn, Sunderland said.
Old Bennington is a “beautiful little hamlet of Vermont that is, quite frankly, undiscovered in many ways,” Sunderland said. The duo hopes the projects will help make the Walloomsac Inn, the Mount Anthony Seminary, and, by extension, Old Bennington, into a destination where people can experience the history the area has to offer, he said.
“We’re just hoping that the town, the neighbors, the community continues to feel excited about being able to open up this to not only the Bennington community, but just travelers from far and beyond who want to come see this historic landmark,” Sunderland said.
Shannon Barsotti, community development director for Bennington, said the Walloomsac Inn will benefit the economy of the town and region by providing a space for people to stay when visiting local notable spots, such as the Old First Church, its historic cemetery and the nearby Bennington Battle Monument — the most visited landmark in the state.
Bennington Museum Executive Director Martin Mahoney said the Walloomsac Inn is a “long-standing staple of community life” in Old Bennington, and the restoration coinciding with the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations is fortuitous and welcome news for residents.
With a storied history, the Walloomsac Inn, known at the time as Dewey’s Tavern, served as a meeting place for the Vermont Legislature during the state’s time as an independent republic from 1771 until statehood in 1791, Mahoney said.
The inn also hosted members of the Continental Army before the pivotal victory at the Battle of Bennington, said Jonah Spivak, the town of Bennington’s communications coordinator and chair of the Bennington Regional 250th Anniversary Committee. A member of the Dewey family, Mary Tilden Dewey, baked 80 loaves of bread to feed soldiers in the inn’s kitchens ahead of the battle, he said.
The inn was also visited by Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison through the years. After the Deweys, the inn was acquired by James Hicks who added a third floor and ballroom to the second floor in 1823. After procuring the property in 1848, George Wadsworth Robinson changed the establishment’s name from Hicks Tavern to the Walloomsac House. Another former owner, Walter Berry, added a three-and-half-story extension to the building after acquiring it near the turn of the 20th century.
The 250th Anniversary Committee looked into acquiring the property for historic preservation through a community trust, Spivak said, but noted the project is a “heavy lift” that required people “with the resources and the knowledge to pull it off” — like Churchill and Sunderland.
Spivak said he is glad the restoration of the Walloomsac Inn will serve a “public purpose” going forward and be “an incredible enhancement to the historical experience in Bennington.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the year James Hicks made additions to the inn.
