MRVPD works to “identify and promote the Valley’s historic and cultural heritage” (MRV Vision Statement).
We work to protect the natural, historical, and cultural rural resources that make the MRV community what it is today. MRVPD accomplishes this primarily through its facilitation of the Mad River Valley Rural Resource Commission. These efforts are critical to maintaining the deep sense of place that residents value and draws in visitors from around the world.
- In the late 1980s, MRVPD helped to form the Mad River Valley Rural Resource Commission (RRC) for the “Identification, evaluation, registration, and preservation of historic properties,” and integration of “local preservation interests and concerns into planning and decision-making processes.” The RRC was the first district of its kind in Vermont to become a Certified Local Government (CLG) under the National Historic Preservation Act. The RRC is composed of members appointed by the MRVPD Steering Committee who are charged with tasks including: maintaining an inventory of historic properties; advising local decision-making bodies on preservation-related policy; and seeking and preparing grants.
Members
- Ellen Strauss
- Brad Long
- Larissa Douglas Koch Ursprung
- Kathy Mehuron
Foundational Documents
2022 Status Update
Join the Rural Resource Commission!
The RRC is looking for new members and community participation. If interested, please contact
MRVPD Community Planner, Sam Robinson ([email protected]).
Recent Work
Boyce Hill Education Project
On March 7th, 2022, the Rural Resource Commission (RRC) submitted a CLG grant application to the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) to support the Boyce Hill Education Project (Education Project). Situated in North Fayston, the Boyce Hill spans 93 acres and holds significant historical importance, perched on a high knoll offering panoramic views of the Green Mountains to the west, the Northfield Range to the east, and the rolling hills of Fayston. Acquired by the Town of Fayston in 2019, preserved through Vermont Land Trust conservation efforts in 2020, and managed by the Boyce Hill Steering Committee, the property features a wealth of cultural, agricultural, and natural history, including extensive stone fences, a cellar hole, a productive apple orchard, and a stone corral. The project's goal was to conduct thorough research and publicly share the site's rich history to raise awareness of its historical significance, as well as the preservation efforts led by the Boyce Hill Steering Committee.
On March 29th, the RRC received a grant of $5,340 to engage a Historical Research Consultant for the Boyce Hill project, generously donated to the Town of Fayston in 2019.
The subsequent project, initiated in late 2022 and spanning through 2023, entailed multiple site visits and extensive research into deed and land records. This research aimed to unravel the history of Boyce Hill, providing valuable insights to inform the ongoing development of a long-term management plan led by the Boyce Hill Steering Committee.
The project included a successful public site walk with Valley residents and the hired research consultant exploring the history of Boyce Hill. The project’s final product is the Boyce Hill Historic Research Survey (HRS), which surveys, documents, and records the cultural history of Boyce Hill. The HRS will serve to deepen the understanding of the property’s cultural resources, historical uses, and activities.
Thanks to the Fayston Conservation Commission, Boyce Hill Steering Committee, Turn Stone Research, VDHP, and the MRV Rural Resource Commission, this project was a great success and helped elevate an already spectacular aspect of the Mad River Valley: Boyce Hill.
Creation/support of National Register of Historic Places Historic Districts, or additions to districts
- Waitsfield Village Historic District (1983); Nomination Form
- Warren Village Historic District (1992); Nomination Form
- Timber Crib Dam (2012)
- MRV Rural Historic District (1994); Nomination Form
- McLaughlin Farm (Knoll Farm) Historic District (1996); Nomination Form
- Waitsfield Common Historic District (2001); Nomination Form
- Mad River Glen Ski Area Historic District (2011)
Creation/support of National Register of Historic Places individual nominations
- Joslin Round Barn Farm (1988); Nomination Form
- Jones-Pestle Farmstead (2015); Nomination Form
- Lareau Farmstead (2016); Nomination Form
Education
- Kicking Stones Down a Dirt Road: Rural Resource Protection in Vermont’s Mad River Valley (1998)
- MRV Land Conservation Resource Guide (1999)
- Saving Place: Changes and the Mad River Valley’s Rural Resources video (2002)
- History of VT Bridges Presentation (2006)
- MRV Hill Farm Research Project
- Historical Essay: Hill Farming of the Mad River Valley (2013)
- Video: Hill Farming in the Mad River Valley (2014)
- Glacial Lakes of the Mad River Valley (2023)
Historic Sites and Structures Surveys and Projects
- Archaeology in Vermont’s Mad River Valley from Paleo-Indian times to the present, Dowd and Trubitt (1990)
- MRV Barn Needs Assessment (2002)
- Waitsfield
- Warren
- Fayston
- Moretown
- Fayston Historic Roads Survey (2003)
- Mad River Valley Historic Sites and Structures Survey Report (2003)
- Joslin Memorial Library Fixture Rewiring Project (2020)
- Boyce Hill Education Project, Boyce Hill Historic Resource Survey, Sam Ford (2023)
Support Preservation Grants
- General Wait House (1996)
- Seibert/Lawton Barn (1999)
- Joslin Memorial Library (1999)
- Knoll Farm Bank Barn (2003)
- Edgecombe Farm Barn (2015)
- Lareau Farm Barn (2014)
- Turner Place Barn (2015)
Applying for CLG Grants for Planning & Implementation
- Fayston Historic Landscape Protection Project (2004)
- Evaluation of Public Historic Resources in Warren (2006)
- Wait House Barns (2006)
- Warren Town Hall (2008)
- Warren Blair Barn (2012)
Advocacy for Rural Resource Preservation
- Sugarbush Grand Summit Hotel – Act 250 (1998)
- Heritage Museum of VT, Waitsfield – DRB (1998)
- Waitsfield/Moretown Route 100 Road Improvement Project – VTrans (2000)
- 100/17 realignment - VTrans (2003)
- Warren Timber Crib Dam (2004)
- Wilder Farm Inn Barns (2009)
- Waitsfield Village Streetscape Projects (2010)
- Simko Barn, Waitsfield – DRB (2010)
- Mad River Scenic Byway Designation of Route 100, between Moretown and Granville (2010)