Pownal Center Historic District
Center Steet: our history, our one-time heart and soul
The New England settlers who chartered Pownal in 1760 envisioned this part of town as its center, in terms of geography but also of civics and religion. Hence the name of this street. This is where a log meetinghouse was constructed, which in the mid-19th century was rebuilt as the little white church called the Pownal Center Community Church. Other homes and businesses grew up around the meetinghouse, and along Center Street - which was part of the main road from Williamstown to Bennington for many years. Thanks to the Pownal Historical Society’s efforts, the older section of Center Street is on the State Register of Historic Places.
Center Street, the old Rt. 7, also was designated a ‘Village Center’ by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development in 2018. This historic district designation not only recognizes the preservation of this traditional New England village defined as a clustered mixed-use area for residential, civic, religious, and commercial purposes, but also contains economic incentives for revitalization efforts, as well as training and technical support to entice new businesses. This initiative gives breaks in permitting to allow for growth, while continuing to emphasize the traditional importance of a village center for concentrated economic development.
Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, “Village Center Designation Program: Application Guidelines,” Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (January 2021): 2, https://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accdnew/files/documents/CD/CPR/CPR-VC-Application-Guidelines.pdf.
