Discover 10 Unexpected Facts about the Vermont State House

Find out surprising and fun Vermont state house facts. As a leading symbol of democracy, the Vermont State House is steeped in history and tradition. But did you know that it contains fossils from a reef that traveled all the way from Africa? Or that they somehow broke and lost some stained glass skylight?

There are plenty of fascinating and surprising facts that most people don’t know about the Vermont State House. In this article, we’ll explore ten of the most awe-inspiring tidbits about the famous building. From its construction to its architecture, learn what makes the Vermont State House such a unique and iconic symbol of American democracy. Step inside the halls of the Vermont State House and take a look at the history and stories that are hiding in plain sight.

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Top Ten Fun Vermont State House Facts

We learned most of these facts on our state house tour. Yes, we are trying to visit all 50 capitols in the USA! Recently we even added state houses in US territories (Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands) This state house is in Montpelier Vermont, the only state capital without a MacDonald’s.

1. This is the THIRD Vermont State house

Soon after picking Montpelier as its capital city in 1805, Vermont built its first state house. It didn’t take long before it became too small and inefficient, so they demolished it and started over. Vermonters clearly are pragmatic people!

The second time, the architect Ammi B. Young designed it. His design of the second Vermont State House brought him fame and success, including being appointed supervising architect for the U.S. Treasury building in Washington DC. This second state house, built during the late 1830s, was tragically gutted by fire in 1857, caused by a wood burning heating system.

A few years after the fire, Vermont tried again and built the third (current one), which incorporated the still-standing original portico. Even today you can see the scars of the fire on the portico, where the intense heat caused granite to flake off.

2. The dome used to be red

If you ask any Vermonter about the color of their state house dome they would say gold. Evidently that has not always been the case. Originally, the dome was sheathed in copper and painted red to imitate the terra-cotta roofs of Italy, in keeping with its then popular Renaissance Revival building style.

While they would have liked to use terra-cotta tiles, like they did in European buildings, the Vermont climate would be too harsh on them. By the beginning of the 20th century, architectural fashions had changed to colonial revival and in 1907 Vermont gilded the dome to go along with that style and it has been 24-karat gold ever since..

3. Clever illusions.

Your first impression of this building is not always correct. For example, when you see the large front doors, they look like they are beautiful bronze. A closer look reveals that the doors are pine, but the architect wanted them to look more upscale. To do that, they painted the exterior to look like bronze and the interior to look like mahogany.

It was a creative and successful way to save money on the state house construction. In addition, the stairs are cast iron to make the building more fireproof, but they have similarly painted them to look like wood.

4. Fossils!

It blows my mind that the Vermont state house has fossils. How is this even possible? The answer lies in the marble they used which came from lake Champlain (Isle La Motte). This marble used to be part of a reef in a shallow sea 480 million years ago.

The Chazy reef formed in Africa, about where Zimbabwe is today. Slowly, it made its way over to Vermont. Some of the same marble, which is very dark in appearance, was used for the U.S. Capitol building and the National Gallery of Art. The Chazy Reef is the oldest reef in the world built by a community of organisms. Read more about the Chazy Reef in the Smithsonian magazine.

5. U.S.S. Constitution timbers

The governor’s chair, the Constitution Chair, was carved from timbers of the frigate U.S.S. Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides” Who would have expected a part of the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy in land-locked Vermont?

6. Heavyweights on the House ceiling.

The Representatives’ Hall has this fascinating lotus blossom on the ceiling. When you look up, you would never guess that each of these petals weighs 500 lbs.

Admittedly, I looked up frequently to make sure they didn’t look like they were coming down any time soon.

7. Historic chandelier

In the center of the Representatives’ Hall you will see the original bronze and gilt chandelier. Interestingly, this is one of America’s most important surviving gas fixtures. As a so-called two-tiered electrified gasolier (a chandelier lit by gas), it was manufactured in Philadelphia by Cornelius and Baker.

The chandelier includes allegorical figures of Prudence, Eloquence and Science alternating with four copies of Hiram Powers‘ famous Greek Slave. Current thinking is that this was an abolitionist statement in this pre-Civil War building. Click here for an interesting article about this.

8. Restored skylights

In the Cedar Creek room, note the two stained glass sky lights dating back to 1859. At some point the skylights broke and they closed the opening, so it looked like a normal ceiling. Since they didn’t know what to do with the pieces, they threw them in the attic and forgot about them.

Until 1970, when workers discovered the broken pieces in an attic above the room. They reassembled and preserved the pieces and reinstalled them in the 1980s. This skylight features the rarely seen reverse of the state coat of arms, a female personification of the state referred to as “Vermontannia.”

9. A chandelier lost and found

The senate chamber is remarkably well preserved. There is a magnificent chandelier which was lost for almost 65 years and eventually found in somebody’s barn. Seemingly, Vermonters are good at losing things… Skylights, chandeliers.

Luckily the chandelier was found and they refurbished and reinstalled it in 1981. Featuring a maritime theme, it portrays seahorses, water lilies and figures of Neptune.

10. Spanish cannons

On the front lawn, you will find two Spanish cannons. In 1898, Admiral George Dewey commanded the American fleet that captured the cannons in the battle of Manila Bay. They destroyed eleven Spanish ships and captured several others without any loss of American life.

Conclusion Vermont State House Facts

We found out so many interesting Vermont state house facts! It was like a walk through live history. We recommend visiting if you can and experience it for yourself! Have you been to this state house? If so, what did surprise you most about it? If not, have you found out similarly surprising facts about other state houses? Please comment and let me know.

When you are in Vermont, also check out Burlington and the ADA accessible Treetop walk in Quechee. If you want to stay closer to the State House, go visit the Vermont full sized copy of the Liberty Bell, right next door.

Explore Other State Houses / Capitols

• Ten Surprising New Hampshire State House Facts New Hampshire people are cheapskates!
• Ten Surprising Vermont State House Facts Discover ancient fossils;
• The Maine State House With bells on;
• The Massachusetts State House Where the Boston Italian North End was born;
• The Old State House in Boston, site of the Boston Massacre.
• Connecticut Capitol Fun Facts Home of the so-called “Black Law”;
• Rhode Island State House: Ten Surprising Facts Discover its Dutch history;
• New York State Capitol. An expensive boondoggle;
• Alaska Capitol. Which animal guards it?
• Washington State Capitol. Women’s suffrage for the win!
• Breaking news: why Puerto Rico has a State House of its own!
• The US Virgin Islands have a Capitol Building in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Voted the state Capitol building with the best view!
• Get inspired by our Travel Quests and start your own!

If you plan on visiting any of these, don’t forget to find out whether they have one of the full size copies of the Liberty Bell.

Learn More Facts about the Vermont State House

Here is a list of useful and interesting links about the Vermont state house.

• The official Vermont State House website. It has opening hours and other good information about the state house.
• The Vermont Historical Society. Learn about Vermont’s exciting past. I recommend checking out their Vermont History Explorer!
• If you cannot make it to the state house for a real life tour, walk around in this cool Google 360 Virtual tour!
• Read about our first visit to the Vermont state house and where we found its liberty bell in a dusty hallway.
• A State House Tour Booklet for school age kids. Published by the Vermont’s Secretary of State Office. Good activities, only drawback is that it is up-to-date only until 2010 with its political info. I wish I had this when we were still homeschooling.