Green glass insulators
A row of historic glass telephone insulators is preserved inside the barn, mounted on what appear to be salvaged crossarms.
Waitsfield Village Historic District
A Historic Home in the Heart of Waitsfield
A Federal-style brick home dating to approximately 1825, overlooking Bridge Street near the Great Eddy Covered Bridge.
Built circa 1825
Built by Roderick Richardson for his son Dan
Accompanied by the circa-1890 Haskin Barn
Introduction
Nearly Two Centuries on Bridge Street
The house stands just east of the Great Eddy Covered Bridge, within the Waitsfield Village Historic District. Built for the Richardson family in the first decades of the 19th century, it reflects the transformation of Waitsfield from a scattered agricultural settlement into the commercial center of the Mad River Valley. Its brick walls, granite foundation and symmetrical Federal façade were the architecture of ambition in a valley of wood-frame farmhouses. Guests here are staying in a historic home — not a modern reproduction — a few steps from the bridge, the river and the village that grew up around them.
Waitsfield Village Historic District National Register nomination
We use “circa 1825” as the primary historic date. Modern property records often list 1830, but the National Register inventory identifies the building as the Dan Richardson House, circa 1825.
Timeline
The House Through Time
c. 1825
The Dan Richardson House
Roderick Richardson builds the Federal-style brick house for his son, Dan Richardson.
- 1782
Waitsfield chartered
The Town of Waitsfield is chartered.
- 1817
Into the valley
Roderick Richardson moves his commercial interests from Waitsfield Common into the Mad River valley, helping establish the present village center.
- c. 1825
The Dan Richardson House
Roderick Richardson builds the Federal-style brick house for his son, Dan Richardson.
- 1833
Great Eddy Covered Bridge
The covered bridge is constructed across the Mad River, only a short distance from the property.
- c. 1890
The Haskin Barn
The barn is constructed behind the residence.
- 1981
Restoration
The house is partially restored and renovated, including replacement six-over-six windows and a reconstructed Federal-style entrance.
- 1983
National Register listing
The Waitsfield Village Historic District is added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Richardsons
The Family That Helped Build Waitsfield Village
- Roderick Richardson recognized that the valley beside the Mad River offered greater commercial potential than the elevated Waitsfield Common.
- He established a store near what became the center of the village.
- The family developed stores, houses, mills and civic buildings.
- They favored substantial brick construction, making their buildings stand out among Waitsfield’s predominantly wood-frame architecture.
- Roderick built this house for his son Dan.
- Dan later moved to other Richardson properties but remained connected to the family’s farms and landholdings.
The nomination notes that nearly all of Waitsfield Village’s surviving 19th-century brick buildings were associated with the Richardson family. National Register narrative
Lineage
Roderick Richardson
Merchant and village builder
Dan Richardson
His son
The Dan Richardson House
Built for Dan, circa 1825
Architecture
Federal Style in Vermont Brick
Five-bay façade
A symmetrical five-bay front with a centered entrance — the hallmark of Federal-period design.
Tap a marker on the photograph to explore.
- Two-and-one-half-story brick construction
- Five-bay symmetrical front façade
- Centered entrance
- Fieldstone foundation with granite visible above grade
- Standing-seam metal roof documented in the 1983 survey
- Boxed cornice with partial returns at the gable ends
- Flat brick window arches
- Large granite entrance stones
- Brick chimneys at the east and west ends
Outbuilding
The Circa-1890 Haskin Barn
- Inventoried by the National Register under its historic name, the Haskin Barn.
- Built approximately 1890.
- Wood-frame construction in a traditional gable form.
- Hayloft door above a large barn entrance.
- An exposed lower level created by the sloping site.
- Today it continues as a gathering, recreation and game-room space.
Stories hidden in the details
Artifacts From an Earlier Vermont
New England Telephone & Telegraph
Pieces of this type were used across rural New England lines. Their exact connection to this property has not yet been documented.
Rural communications
They reflect the development of rural communications in the Mad River Valley, although their original installation location has not been confirmed.
Background reading: Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom history
Bridge Street
At the Eastern Gateway to Historic Waitsfield
- Bridge Street connects the property with Waitsfield’s traditional village center.
- The Great Eddy Covered Bridge was constructed in 1833.
- House and bridge belong to the same early period of village development.
- The Mad River influenced the placement of roads, mills, homes and businesses.
- Waitsfield’s lack of a railroad helped preserve much of its 19th-century village character.
Historical maps
Find the House on the Map
National Register district map
Shows the house within the Waitsfield Village Historic District — the residence as Building 18 and the barn as 18A, alongside the covered bridge, Bridge Street and the Mad River.
1858 Walling map
Waitsfield roughly 33 years after the house was built, with roads, a village plan, landowners, businesses, churches and schools.
1873 Beers atlas
The development of Waitsfield and Fayston later in the 19th century.
Historical map explorer
Browse other historical maps of Washington County.
Modern property and tax records: Waitsfield tax maps and assessor information
Gallery
Waitsfield Then and Now
Historical images are still being gathered. Sources include the Waitsfield Historical Society photo collection — more than 800 digitized glass negatives, many with unidentified subjects — and the Vermont Historical Society digital photographs.
Stewardship
Preserving the Past, Welcoming the Future
Caring for a contributing historic property means respecting the brickwork, the timber framing and the proportions that have held this house on Bridge Street for nearly two centuries. Unusual surviving details are kept rather than tidied away, and modern comfort is added thoughtfully around them. If you once lived here, worked here, or have a photograph of the house or barn, we would love to hear from you.
Research still underway
Help Us Complete the Story
- Complete deed and ownership chain
- Exact date and builder documentation
- Historic photographs of the house
- When the Haskin name became connected to the property
- Original uses of the barn
- Provenance of the telephone crossarms and insulators
- Major renovations before and after 1981
- Memories from former owners and neighbors
Sources
Sources and Further Reading
- National Register of Historic Places: Waitsfield Village Historic District
- Waitsfield Historical Society
- Waitsfield historical walking tour
- Waitsfield historical photograph collection
- History of the Town of Waitsfield, by Richard M. Bisbee
- 1858 Map of Washington County
- Waitsfield Town Clerk and land records
- Waitsfield assessor and tax maps
- Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom history