Serving the Vermont Champlain Valley Area for 45 Years
Saturday May 5, 2018 Edition
Main Sections
Front Page SportsValley VitalsIt's in the StarsStarwiseArchivesLinksAbout The VoiceContact Us







Celebrating The John Strong Mansion And The Revolutionary Spirit In Us All


photo by provided
Getting the herb garden ready for spring.
photo by provided
Getting the herb garden ready for spring.

Tuesday May 1, 2018

By Cookie Steponaitis

Joy Minns like many Addison County residents drove past the John Strong Mansion for over forty years without ever having set foot there. Minns grew up in a family that did not share stories or background information and her father did not even know which country his parents were born in. Genealogical research and following her own family’s journey was always on her ‘Bucket List’ to do but it was not until about seven years ago that she actually began. Minns thought that her mother’s family had come to the United States in the mid -1800’s and was shocked to find that they had in fact been in America since the early 1600’s. Minns discovered as she traced back each generation she had at least eleven family members who had fought in the American Revolution. She was asked to join the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution by DAR member Liz Bicknell.  Minns went out of curiosity and shared she had visions of women who wore white gloves and drank tea. Little did she know that the DAR is one of the largest women’s service groups in the world and very active in supporting education, the military, veterans and Native American causes. Minns not only found her heritage as a member but went into a building that previously received a passing glance as she traveled by it.
    The John Strong Mansion was built by John and Agnes Strong who came to Addison from Connecticut in 1765 and built a cabin at Chimney Point. They raised ten children and while John was away buying supplies for the soldiers at Fort Ticonderoga the British came through and burned out the settlement. Agnes and her children escaped during the siege by boat, but John had no clue what happened to his family. He was captured by a party of British and Indians, paroled and began a desperate search for his family. He returned to Connecticut looking all over the region and it was only by chance he found them on a trip through Dorset, Vermont. The family stayed in Dorset and returned to Addison County in the 1780’s. General Strong was active in the legislature both in Bennington County and Addison County and was a member of the convention that approved Vermont’s admission as the fourteenth state. John, besides being a legislator was a judge and surveyor and his surveying instruments are still in his ‘new’ home built in 1796. All items in the home are from the era of the late 1700s through 1860 or so and generations of John’s family have lived here. The home was purchased by the Vermont DAR in 1934.
    The John Strong Mansion is open for guided tours Memorial Day - Labor Day, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and admission is $5.00 for adults, seniors and students $3.00 and families $10.00. All fees are used for the preservation of the DAR John Strong Mansion Museum, located at 6656 TV Route 17 W, Addison, Vermont. Contact the museum at (802) 759-2309. Minns, like many members of the DAR serves as a guide and often leads the tour in costuming specific to the era. “I believe the Mansion is a little-known gem in our area,” remarked Minns. “Each room is furnished with interesting items and many of the items have a story to tell. As a tour guide I get the funniest comments from young children such as ‘where’s the TV and where did they go to the bathroom?’ The bricks for the home were made on the property and the cloth for the family’s clothing was made from flax grown right there. When locals stop by they are always amazed that they’ve driven past this home for so many years and have never stopped in. New last year was an herb garden added to the grounds. The Mansion will open soon for tours. Please stop by for a visit!”
    And even better, if you are ready to begin a journey into your own past and want to trace your genealogy give the DAR ladies a call for pointers. They can they point you in the right direction and share with you some of the programs and missions of another of America’s best kept secrets: The Daughters of the American Revolution.


 Printer Friendly  Top
Advertisements


Search our Archives


· More Options



   

Agricultural Weather Forecast:

© 2006-18 The Valley Voice • 656 Exchange St., Middlebury, VT 05753 • 802-388-6366 • 802-388-6368 (fax)
Valleywides: [email protected] • Classifieds: [email protected] • Info: [email protected]