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Village House |
The Village House, the principal building of the Oysterponds Historical
Society, was built in 1798 as a one-story house for Augustus Griffin,
Orient’s early historian. The original house was of quite modest
dimensions. In 1808, Griffin added a bedroom and in 1832 he put on a
second story to expand the structure into a boarding house. Griffin
lived here during most of his mature years (he sold the house in 1853
and died in 1866 at 99 years old). It is the only OHS building that
remains in its original location.
In 1853, the house was sold to Samuel Gilson Vail, who continued to
operate a boarding house there. In the 1870s, the building was again
renovated to enlarge the upstairs and downstairs, including the addition
of Italianate features such as the full veranda and arched openings. In
the 1880s, Samuel Vail’s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Jeremiah Vail, took over
the business and ran the boarding house for summer visitors until her
death in 1898.
Village House remained in the Vail family until its purchase in 1944 by
the Society.
To see how you help in the restoration and preservation of Village
House, visit our page on
Capital Campaign, Saving the Past for the Future.
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