
The Old Stone House — one of the most impressive buildings in New England — lies in the small, quiet town of Brownington, VT. The massive building is a four storey granite structure containing collections of the Orleans Historical Society. Handicrafts, needlework, and paintings relevant to the history of Orleans County are collected there.
The building was originally constructed by Alexander Twilight, who was born in Corinth, VT on September 23, 1795. His parents, Ichabod and Mary, were the first African-Americans to settle in the town of Cornish, where they purchased a farm in 1798.
At the age of eight, Twilight was indentured by a neighboring farmer whom he resided with until he was 20. During that time, Twilight learned to read and write as he worked diligently to purchase his indentureship. Soon after his indentureship, Twilight attended the Orange County School in nearby Randolph. Six years later, Twilight graduated with the equivalency of college-level courses.
In 1821, Alexander Twilight enrolled at Middlebury College and in 1823, he graduated with a baccalaureate degree, making him the first African-American to do so. Three years later, he married New Hampshire native Marry Ladd Merrill. At the time of his marriage, Twilight was teaching in Peru, NY, where he studied the ministry.
Twilight arrived in Brownington in 1829, where he became the principal at Brownington Academy which housed students from all over the state. Because of the distance only students who resided in Brownington lived at home. All others had to stay with families who lived nearby.
As the student population grew, the need for more space became an issue. In 1830, Twilight approached the school’s presidential committee in hopes of raising funds for a dormitory. When his proposal was denied, Twilight decided to pay for the dormitory himself.
During the spring of 1836, a gift of land was deeded to Twilight for the purpose of constructing a boarding house that would accommodate the Orleans County Grammar School. The deed is one of the few remaining documents dealing with the construction of the building.
In addition to taking on the financial responsibilities, Twilight was solely responsible for the construction of the dormitory. When he finally finished the building, he dubbed it Athenial Hall (now known as The Old Stone House). The actual construction of the building remains a mystery. Some say Athenial Hall was built similar to that of the pyramids. As the stones were laid in place and the walls rose, a ramp of earth was built around the building, allowing Twilight to drag the stones along the ramp. When the wall was completed, the theory goes, the dirt ramp was removed.
Athenial Hall measured 36 by 66 feet and 24 feet at the Gables. The inner sides of the granite walls were bricked and plastered to a total thickness of over 20 inches.
In 1916, Alexander Twilight’s masterpiece was saved from destruction by the Orleans County Historical Society. Currently, the Old Stone House and its surroundings are designated as a Natural Historic District. Additionally, Twilight has an auditorium named after him at nearby Lyndon State College, while Middlebury College erected Alexander Twilight Hall in his memory.
.
© Edublox
Reading and learning made easy –
Video: It’s life-changing! Edublox helps overcome learning challenges
Watch Naeleigh’s heart-warming story of overcoming learning challenges. While Edublox’s Development Tutor is improving her cognitive skills like concentration, processing, memory and reasoning, Live Tutor and additional homework exercises provided by Edublox address her reading, spelling and math deficits. Continue Reading
Ashlyn, mom of Naeleigh, US Edublox Online Tutor May 26, 2022
Video: Overcoming reading difficulties — Four children testify
Four children, Kelsey, Tshepo, Liam and Joshua share how struggling to read affected them, as well as how it feels now that they can read. Contact Edublox for help if your child struggles with similar problems.
Continue ReadingKelsey, Tshepo, Liam and Joshua Edublox Online Tutor March 5, 2022
Overcoming dyslexia: Elize tells her family’s experience
Elize tells her family's experience with Edublox. When her youngest daughter (now 25 years old) was in 4th grade, she realized her reading was not on par. The school said she should not worry. Continue Reading
Elize, mom of Marie-Louise Edublox Online Tutor March 5, 2022
Dyslexia & dyscalculia diary and video: “We can see her world getting bigger”
The whole Edublox system has helped Amy so much with reading and math, but it was hard for us to tell if it was helping her with this hidden, agonizing challenge. It certainly is! Continue Reading
Sandy, mom of Amy, US Edublox Online Tutor January 5, 2022
Video: Edublox’s online tutoring delivers demonstrable results
Dennis shares how Edublox is teaching his daughter Veronica to read after other programs had failed. She was diagnosed with apraxia. Apraxia is a neurological condition that makes certain motor movements difficult. It may affect speech and coordination, and may co-occur with learning disorders such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Continue Reading
Dennis, Veronica's dad, US Edublox Online Tutor October 29, 2021
Dyseidetic dyslexia video: Measurable improvements in reading scores
Hilary shares her thoughts on "The Edublox Experience." Measurable improvements in standardized reading scores, confidence and fun. Continue Reading
Hilary, Rief's mom, US Edublox Online Tutor October 11, 2021
Video: Overcoming dyslexia and developmental delays
Vivienne was adopted from China at age 5. This video is about Susan helping her 11-year-old daughter overcome developmental delays, including dyslexia. They started with the Edublox program 13 weeks ago. This is their story. Continue Reading
Susan, Vivienne's mom, US Edublox Online Tutor August 22, 2021
“Carsten is reading 6 and 7 letter words and the most amazing part is he is spelling them as well!”
Now, after working with Susan and the Edublox program for the last 5 months, Carsten is reading 6 and 7 letter words and the most amazing part is he is spelling them as well! AMAZING! I never would have thought he would be spelling words that large so quickly. I asked his school teacher about what she has seen and she told me she’s seen a big difference... Continue Reading
Lisel Nielsen, Utah, US Edublox Online Tutor March 12, 2020
Video: Student with severe dyslexia improves from the 1st to the 55th percentile!
Meet Maddie, a 10-year-old who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia, moderate dyscalculia, ADHD and low IQ (low 80s). People who had evaluated her said that they had never seen dyslexia as severe as this before. Her parents had been told by more than one professional that Maddie would probably never read... Continue Reading
Kimberly, US Edublox Online Tutor May 23, 2019
“His ability to decipher words is phenomenal”
Kenny’s ability to spell now is stunning all of us. His ability to decipher words is phenomenal.... Kenny has learned that reading can be enjoyed and how to enjoy it... He is reading now on an above grade level average and scored above grade level on his State tests. Continue Reading
Donna, USA Edublox Online Tutor November 15, 2018