THE BOSTWICK HOUSE - photo c. 1868 [Click to Enlarge]

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Bostwick or Dixon House
by Gary Irish

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In the early days of Vermont, travel was by foot, horse or stage coach, all of which limited the range that one could travel in a day’s time.  Thus, an early fixture in most towns was the local tavern, and Jericho boasted several.  One of the earliest was the Bass House, located at 365 VT Rt. 15, on the northwest corner of the intersection with the Raceway in the Riverside section of town.  Little is known about this tavern, other than for a time Nathaniel Bostwick was the owner.  He died February 10, 1807 at the age of 50, and as it was already known as the Bass House, he was likely not the original owner.  The old tavern is now used as apartments.

Bass House corner Raceway & Route 15, March 24, 2023

By 1802, his son Arthur Bostwick kept the Bostwick House that stood a short distance below the Bass House, at 351 VT Rt. 15.  Arthur’s son Julius Bostwick also kept the Bostwick House for a short time.  Arthur’s daughter Sally married Rufus Brown in the Bostwick House February 2, 1843, and Rufus took over operation of the tavern from his father-in-law, purchasing it from him in March, 1849 for $4000.  The tavern had started out as a two story building, and Bostwick and Brown enlarged it from time to time, including adding an ell.

Bostwick House

The tavern was on the direct route from Canada to Burlington and Lake Champlain, and south to Troy, N.Y. and points beyond, and in the early days was much frequented by teamsters.  They traveled up and down with their big covered wagons, drawn by four, six or more horses, coming in at dark and out again as early as three or four o’clock in the morning, loaded with such things as grain, pork, lumber, furs and dry goods.  During the 1840s and 1850s, there was a strong temperance movement in this area, and it is interesting to note that as a result, in at least 1851, Mr. Brown was licensed by the town to sell small beer and cider in the hotel, but not wines, strong beer or spirituous liquors.

The Bostwick House, North-East View

Bostwick House

​In February, 1866 the tavern was purchased by Leonard Dixon, and was soon renamed the Dixon House.  Mr. Dixon expanded the building even more, adding a large three story addition and a dance hall.  An article in the February 6, 1874 Burlington Free Press mentioned that Mr. Dixon was making arrangements for a considerable increase to his hotel accommodations for the summer of 1874, so this is likely when some of these additions were built.  From the large three story porch on the east side, patrons had a spectacular view of Mt. Mansfield, and the Adirondacks could be viewed from the porches on the west side.

Bostwick House

Mt. Mansfield from Bostwick House porch

Dixon House Riverside

Leonard & Eliza Dixon

There were also croquet grounds adjacent to the hotel.  An advertisement appeared in 1896 for a photographer temporarily setting up shop in “the old Dixon House bowling alley”, so apparently at one time bowling was also offered at the hotel.  By the early 1870s they were advertising that stages connected with both morning and evening trains at Essex Junction.  With the coming of the Burlington & Lamoille railroad in 1877 special trains brought patrons from Burlington to dances and other events held there.  As the Free Press described it in July, 1877, “The road passes within a few yards of the hotel and will undoubtedly greatly add to its already extensive patronage.”  Dixon’s soon became a flag stop on the B&L, and a platform was built so passengers could debark right at the hotel.

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​Mr. & Mrs. Dixon were genial hosts and their hospitality was well known, as was the good cooking.  One banquet held there by the G.A.R. included various kinds of meats, oysters served in different styles, a nice variety of pastry and all fruits of the season.  And an article from the February 20, 1874 Burlington Free Press gives a good idea of what an evening there might have been like:

​“On the evening of the 12th inst., the Richmond Band and Dramatic Club gave one of their best entertainments at this place.  After excellent music by the band the drama entitled the ‘Maniac Lover’ in five scenes was played.  The scenery representing each act was perfectly adapted to the play, and all the characters well personated.  Especially ‘Michael Earl’ by C.W. Jacobs, ‘De Arville’ by E.T. Jacobs, Mary Woodward’ by Mrs. E.T. Jacobs.  Mrs. Christian, Miss Jones, Messrs. Greens, Gleason and Jones, were all in their right places.  The closing piece of ‘Turn Him Out’ was mirth provoking in the extreme.  Mrs. Jacobs, Mrs. Christian and E.T. Jacobs brought down the house with laughter at their many hits.  After the play was concluded a party of nearly one hundred returned to the Bostwick House and partook of one of Dixon’s best suppers.  After supper Bryants band of Richmond was found among the guests and the remainder of the evening was spent in dancing.  What contributed largely to the enjoyment of the occasion was the presence of three popular Chittenden county landlords, Love of the Richmond Hotel, Cooper of the Jonesville House, and mine host of the evening.  What they could not do to entertain such a large party, others need not try.  The whole affair was one of harmony and good feelings, and the dramatic entertainment at the church [either the Congregational Church in the Flats or the Methodist Church in Riverside, but which is not clear] was well received by a large and appreciative audience.”

Several hundred visitors came to the hotel each summer, attracted by the popularity of the management and the scenic surroundings, with many hiking on Mt. Mansfield, taking carriage rides or fishing.  For example, the Burlington Free Press mentioned in their July 24, 1874 edition that the hotel was well filled with summer visitors, including a number of Burlington people, as well as a family from Williamstown, MA and a number of Philadelphia guests.

Advertisement for Old Folks Anniversary at Dixon House

Advertisement for Old Folks Social Party at Dixon House 1886

​Mr. Dixon died in the hotel December 23, 1886 at the age of 77 (the B&L ran a special train to bring mourners from Burlington to his funeral), and the hotel was carried on by C.W. Thurber and S.M. Barney.  Apparently business had been declining, as in November, 1885 Mr. Dixon had mortgaged the hotel, Dr. Arthur Burdick holding the mortgage.  In January, 1889, Dr. Burdick purchased the hotel from the Dixon estate, and that spring made considerable improvements to the property, including painting the outside, and installing a new floor and a new marble top counter in the office.  By July 1st, the hotel was thoroughly repaired and refurnished, and ready to open, with Dr. Burdick as the proprietor and Capt. P.T. Hollenbeck as manager.  At about 2 o’clock on the morning of January 11, 1891 fire was discovered in the attic at the rear of the old inn.  This was covered in the January 16th edition of the Free Press as follows:

Another Landmark Gone. The Dixon House at Underhill in Ashes –
Loss $12,600, Insurance $8000

“The pleasant hotel at Underhill Flats was discovered to be on fire on Sunday morning at 2 o’clock by persons residing in the vicinity. It had been closed for the winter and was unoccupied, but fires were put into the building on Saturday for the purpose of warming the house. When the fire was discovered the upper part of the ell was one sheet of flame and had made such headway it was soon a mass of smoldering ruins. The main body of the house was soon on fire, and the night being a still one and the building burning from the roof downward, it was three o’clock before the last walls were prostrate. Only one tall chimney remains standing in its stately height, as if silently protesting against such sad havoc and desolation. There was so little commotion that people residing almost within a stone’s throw of the hotel did not know of its destruction until morning. Some of the furniture on the two lower floors of the main building was saved. It is supposed that the fire caught from one of the chimneys in the ell. The building was insured by T.S. Peck of Burlington in several stock companies for $6,000, and the furniture for $2000.

“This hotel has been a pleasant resort for many from all parts of New England and it will be with regret that they learn of its loss. It was first known as the Bostwick House, being built by Arthur Bostwick about the year 1803. It was then an unpretentious two story building, but was afterward somewhat enlarged by him. Clark Bostwick of this village was the first child born within its walls. It afterward passed into the hands of Rufus Brown, a son-in-law of Mr. Bostwick, who still further enlarged it by building more sleeping rooms in the ell part. Nearly 25 years ago the property was purchased by L.M. Dixon and by him beautified and enlarged to the commodious house it has since been. Mr. Dixon proved to be an excellent landlord and under his supervision it was made a very attractive summer resort and was well patronized. About two years ago and after the death of Mr. Dixon, the hotel was purchased by Dr. A.F. Burdick, and by him had been newly painted, papered, carpeted and furnished throughout at an expense of several thousand dollars.

“In 1832 the barns of the hotel, which stood very nearly where the present ones are situated, were accidently set on fire by a candle and burned to the ground, the hotel itself barely escaping the same fate. “Perhaps some of the older residents may remember the sign which used to adorn the post in front of this old time hostelry. It was shield shaped and was painted by a man from Burlington named Wicker. The work was done in the north room over the barroom and the landscape he painted thereon was from the natural scenery of hill, wood and dale, which the painter could see from the hotel window. On this sign was painted “Bostwick House” in large gilt letters. The other side was adorned with a two wheeled chariot, drawn by fiery steeds driven by a woman. A man by the name of Burroughs first drove a stage through this section from Essex Junction through Cambridge to Johnson, the mail having previously been carried by a man on horseback. Mr. Burroughs drove a very unassuming vehicle but about the year 1827 a man named Roswell Butler from Essex came on to the route with “nice yellow coaches” bought at Concord, N.H., and drawn by four horses, and for years the crack of the driver’s whip as he reined his fiery steeds driven at full gallop up the hill to the door of the Bostwick House, was a familiar sound. The railway mail system has obliterated the old time stage coach and to the regret of many, the insatiable element of fire has obliterated the pleasant resort for the traveller and the pleasure seeker – the Dixon House.”

​The entire building was burned to the ground, but, as the Free Press article mentions, due to the efforts of those who responded to the alarm, the piano and much of the furniture was saved.  The fire was believed to have started from a stove being used while work was being done in that part of the building.  The loss was estimated to be $14,000.  The furniture which was saved was stored at Thompson's Hall (this was an assembly hall on the second floor of what is now Jacobs’ store on Park Street, before that space was converted to living quarters in 1892), and Dr. Burdick soon advertised that “$2000 worth of Dixon House goods will be sold at…private sale” starting on January 26.  Through the years, the prosperity of the Calvary Episcopal Church in Riverside was quite dependent upon the summer visitors who stayed at the Dixon House, and after the hotel burned this support was lost.  As a result, the church was largely closed from about 1901 to 1928, when it was refurbished and reopened by Father Ross and Edward Sinclair, proprietor of the Hotel Sinclair in Riverside. In the fall of 1896, Dr. Burdick had a new tenement house built on the Dixon House lot and the next fall, he had a second house built there.

​In one of those curiosities of history, ten years to the day after fire destroyed the Dixon House, the Home Market building in Jericho Corners burned.

Images from Gary Irish's collection