Mill House Renovation - 2023

​This house, built in 1859, was used until the 1970’s as the home of the various owners of the Chittenden Mills grist mill, and is located across the driveway from the mill. It is now owned by the Jericho Historical Society as part of the historic mill complex, and is a wonderful example of the Gothic Revival/gingerbread style.
From time to time the house gets a sprucing up.  The most recent was a three month renovation project completed in October, 2023, to make the downstairs apartment suitable for rental.
At some point, the house was divided into two apartments.  The upstairs apartment has had the same excellent tentant for over 30 years.  Downstairs is a huge one bedroom apartment.  It has been rented sporadically as residential, live/work, and most recently used for a commecial prep kitchen.  In the most recent past, a wet, musty basement made the first floor apartment unlivable owing to dampness and coinciding smell.  The JHS had the basement made more water resistant, a new sump-pump installed as well as a new boiler system for heat in 2022.  But the vacant downstairs apartment needed help!
The wood floors were in bad shape -- no finish at all in some places.  The baseboard heat had a 1/4" dust jacket.  There was no usable closet in the bedroom.  The bathroom was... well... scary.  The kitchen had decrepid appliances, the beautiful built-ins needed love,  and boy, did it need a scrubbing.
So after the JHS board meeting in June, the members wandered over to see what it would take to do this wonderful house justice.  The kick-off cleaning party was June 19.
​Thanks to local merchants and trades-persons*, and JHS Board volunteer painters, sweepers, window washers, floor scrubbers, door scrubbers, shower scrapers, trash haulers (especially futon haulers), blind hangers, power washers, leaf rakers, shrub trimmers, and donators of cleaning supplies, painting supplies, bits & pieces, husbands, brothers, and cousins, and TIME, the house is once again beautiful.
Most important, we will now have another wonderful tenant and a steady source of income to keep this historic house in good shape!

Learn more about the Mill House
*Merchants and Trades
The project couldn't have been completed without the great work of the folks at the companies listed below.   We got great prices, all the way down to free in some cases.  Many stepped outside the work they were hired to do to lend a hand to the amateur JHSers. Thanks to all!!