THE SITE ARTHUR BIOGRAPHY

Vice President Arthur became the 21st President when James Garfield died in 1881.

While many Americans remember Calvin Coolidge as “the President from Vermont,” most forget that another of our Chief Executives hailed from the Green Mountain State. Vermont’s “other President” was Chester Alan Arthur. Both Coolidge and Arthur were born in small farming communities and both, as Republican U.S. Vice Presidents, succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of the incumbents. Like many of their contemporaries, both men left their native state to attain political prominence.

Some mystery surrounds the early years of Chester A. Arthur. The most frequently asked question is “Where was he born?” The President Arthur State Historic Site is a 1953 recreation of the second house in which Arthur lived as an infant. The confusion stems from the fact that Arthur himself told people that his birthyear was 1830 (it was actually 1829). The building in which he was born was actually a primitive cabin hastily erected in the village of Fairfield. The Baptist Congregation later completed the parsonage where the family moved shortly after the birth of the future president. It was this parsonage which was reconstructed by the State of Vermont.

The granite monument, dedicated in 1903, is situated on a small plot of land presented to the State of Vermont by P.B.B. Northrop. At that time it was believed this was the location of the birthplace of Chester Arthur. In 1950 the State of Vermont purchased the land around the monument and the present building was recreated in 1953 using as a guide an old photograph of the house which stood on this site.

THE OLD BRICK CHURCH

A short distance to the northwest of the Chester A. Arthur State Historic Site stands the North Fairfield Baptist Church. At this site, Rev. William Arthur was called to preach shortly before Chester was born. The present brick church, built circa 1840, replaced the earlier church. This church, which has never had electricity, was donated in 1970 to the State of Vermont, through the efforts of Consuelo Northrop Bailey, by the Vermont Baptist State Convention. The Brick Church is built on a ledgy knoll from which is seen a panoramic view of a classic Vermont mountain range. The Brick Church is often used for memorial services and weddings and is open to the public for viewing during the hours the Historic Site is open.