By Mary Kathleen Mehuron
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEtM4U_RNVg)
As you drive out of The Valley, right after the Waitsfield-Fayston Fire Department on your right-hand side you see the General Wait House. This is the first permanent dwelling that was built in the Mad River Valley of Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren. General Benjamin Franklin Wait lived from 1736 to 1822.
The Waitsfield Historical Society tells us:
“One of the pioneer statesmen of Vermont and the founder of the town of Waitsfield, Benjamin Wait was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, one of seven children. In 1744, his father John moved the family to Brookfield, Massachusetts, where he opened an inn on the Great Post Road between Boston and Albany. Benjamin was a ‘strapping lad,’ large for his age and with a love for hunting and outdoor life. At night, by the tavern hearth, he would listen to the tales of frontier life and Indian warfare from the many travelers who passed through Brookfield. At 18, he enlisted in the Provincial Army to fight in the French and Indian Wars around Lake George and Lake Champlain. Known as a successful hunter and scout, it wasn't long before he was sent to join Rodgers Rangers, made famous in the novel “Northwest Passage.” This was his first taste of the wild and beautiful country — known as the Hampshire Grants — that was to become Vermont.
“When he settled in Waitsfield, General Wait built a log cabin which he later replaced with a one-story frame house on the ‘Loop Road’, now known as Old County Road. Sometime in the 1830s, the house was moved to its present site and a second story added. In 1995, the town of Waitsfield was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Federal Transportation Enhancement Fund (ISTEA) for the house to include a visitor center. In addition, the Waitsfield Historical Society raised $50,000 to assist the town in purchasing the property. The Burley Partnership, Waitsfield, known for their work with historic projects, undertook the research and restoration of the General Wait House. Careful attention was given to original paint colors and wallpaper samples found during the renovation. In digging out the foundation, many artifacts were found, some of which are shown in the exhibit. The ground floor of the house was returned as much as possible to the original 1793 plan.”
They did a terrific job repairing and repurposing the old building, but that was nearly 30 years ago. A farmhouse that has survived 231 years is going to need constant attention. I fear it didn’t get it.
You might have noticed a giant blue tarp covering a large section of the roof. We are praying it will survive the winter. If that is not an emergency, I don’t know what is. Please remember that the Waitsfield Historical Society is housed in this building. Some of our most historic families have their personal archives in their homes. But the earliest Valley history is largely kept in an archive room of the General Wait House.
How do we get the folks of The Valley to care about the roof?
- A drone to film footage from above. Yes, and a crew to make a movie showing the extent of the problem. I stopped to talk to Chris Wiersema at MRVTV about making a fundraising film. He’s a terrific filmmaker.
- The new Wait House Commission, which has been formed to fix and then maintain the place, has been advised that a movie is an important tool.
So, what’s the story?
Act I
Using aerial shots, we see almost the entire historic district of the village of Waitsfield. Waitsfield Select Board member and president of the Waitsfield Historical Society, Fred Messer’s family has lived in this town for nine generations. He establishes “place” and his place in it. Then he recounts the history of General Benjamin Franklin Wait — the founder of Waitsfield.
Act IIa
Chair of the Wait House Commission, AnnMarie Harmon (master of architecture with a concentration in historic preservation from the University of Michigan), looks at the Wait House as an important architectural building in the classic Federal Style of Colonial America.
Beth Kendrick is the founder of Art Roots, a service that provides mental health counseling to children using art. In this section of the film, she describes the culture of the tenants of the Wait House as a central nonprofit hub.
Mid-Point Shift
Luke Foley, of Friends of the Mad River, states the obvious — the Wait House is run down and shabby. As it is the first thing people see when they come to The Valley, and a symbol of our past, present and future, this is a big mistake.
Act IIb
Annmarie Harmon points to the water damage on the ceiling from a toilet on the second story and shows how that could have destroyed the history of Waitsfield in the archive room.
Gib Geiger, a member of the Wait House Commission, shows us how the toilet that caused that damage could have fallen through the ceiling because the floor was completely rotten.
On the front porch, Fred Messer says that it’s raining and a section of roof is leaking. We cut to drone footage.
Act III
We see a worker in a cherry picker laying a blue tarp on the room to temporarily stop the damage.
Looking forward, Misha Golfman, executive director of the Mad River Path Association, Josh Schwartz of Mad River Valley Planning District, and Brigitte Ritchie, secretary of the Waitsfield Historical Society, describe what the home and barns could be with some loving care.
Backwards drone footage goes to black — QR code to donate.
Thank you for watching our film and donating. It’s pretty important. The sooner we get that roof fixed the better!
Mary Kathleen Mehuron lives in Waitsfield. Contact her at marykathleenmehuron.com.
