The Old Stone House Museum

The Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village opened in 1925. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum chronicles the history of Orleans County through its collections, exhibits, events and educational programs. A featured stop on Vermont’s African-American Heritage Trail, the museum tells the story of Alexander Twilight. Mr. Twilight was first African-American college graduate and state legislator in the United States and he built our namesake Old Stone House which he called Athenian Hall.

Inside the museum’s thirty rooms are more than 75,000 objects that tell the story of Orleans County, Vermont. This includes furniture, paintings, tools, textiles, folk art and all the stuff of 19th Century life. Some noted items in the collection include Rufus Porter wall murals, a Civil War-era congressional desk, a small Mormon relic from Vermont and the always popular “phantom baby” portrait on the top floor. Two barns display antique agricultural items, horse drawn transportation, maple sugaring equipment and more. Our grounds are the perfect place to plan a picnic and no visit is complete without a walk up Prospect Hill.