Mont Vernon Historic Buildings Foundation

12/02/2025

Mont Vernon has several historic town-owned buildings in need of repair and restoration. Help support these projects by making a donation on donate here: https://mvhbf.org

Visit us at https://mvhbf.org to support Mont Vernon’s historic town-owned buildings!

12/01/2025

Visit us at https://mvhbf.org to support Mont Vernon’s historic town-owned buildings!

10/31/2025

Everyone knows that the most Historic Buildings are also the most Haunted, so for tonight, MVHBF is engaging in a slight name change.... Look for us at Trunk or Treat and have a great
EEEeeeeeveningggg.

09/28/2025

Orinda Felton Odell Upton and Captain William Osborne Lamson tied the knot on January 10, which was a Wednesday in the year 1849. A year later, they were expecting their first child together, but they got two! Twin girls! In another 14 months, they had another set of twin girls! Imagine, 4 little girls, all in diapers, and no washing machine! William, Orlinda’s son by her first husband would have been about 8 years older than all his half sisters. By the time he was 10, he had yet another little sister. Finally, in October of 1858, little brother Frank joined the crew on Lamson Road.

09/17/2025

MVHBF supports the great work being done by MVHS and LFC! Looking forward to Lamson Farm Day!

08/18/2025

According to the National Historic Registry, the first addition of the Lamson house was built in the 1850’s. It surely must have filled up fast! The addition consists of 2 rooms downstairs, and two more upstairs. The large central chimney boasts 5 compartments, one for each of the new rooms, and a fifth for the new kitchen, which is what the old log cabin became. A single chimney was a bit more frugal than building two chimneys, which graced some of the more flamboyant houses of the time. However, 5 fireplaces was quite impressive, especially for a family that had made do with a log cabin for 2 generations!

08/16/2025

07/26/2025

We sure had a great time Wednesday Night on Mont Vernon's Historic Green! The music and the weather were top notch! We got to talk to a whole slew of folks, telling them about who we are and what we are trying to do for the town. AND we sold gobs of ice cream and freeze pops, raising money for our cause. The day just couldn't have been better!

Thanks Mont Vernon Recreation for making this wonderful event possible!

07/23/2025

Mont Vernon's historic buildings are like the blocks that built this town we love! To learn more, check us out at tonight's conert on the green!

07/21/2025

What a blow for those first Lamsons, loosing their patriarch, William, at 54. Had his first two boys survived, they would have been grown men of 27 and 29. Seasoned farmers ready to start families of their own. One of them would have been in place to take over. As it happened, the next 3 children were girls. Women played an important part in farm life, but the culture of the time kept them busy with house hold work. Mr. Lamson may not have been able to expand his farm as much as his neighbors to the north who had a more equal balance of boy and girl babies.

15 year old William and his 13 year old brother John managed to keep the farm going. After 40 years of existence, the place might have looked something like Eric Sloane’s second illustration. Temporary buildings have been improved. The stumps around the house have rotted away. Stone fences are created with rocks fished out of expanding fields.

Many farmers built additions on their houses as the second generation looked to create a third. This did not happen for the Lamsons, which may be part of the impact of loosing the three oldest males in the farm’s early life.

Whatever the case, the work of the first and second generations of Lamsons allowed the third generation to thrive! More about them next post!