Paul Carnahan
The handsome Federal-style house at 2 Liberty Street is among Montpelier’s oldest residences. It was built in 1805, the year Montpelier was chosen as the permanent state capital, by David Wing, Jr., who had been a side judge and chief judge of the county court. He followed his father-in-law, Col. Jacob Davis, into the position of town clerk in 1793, serving until 1806. Simultaneously, he was elected Montpelier’s representative to the legislature in 1796 and 1797 and became secretary of state in 1802. He died in the typhus fever epidemic of 1806, a year after his house was built, and is buried in Elm Street Cemetery. The upper photo was taken ca. 1915, after the front porch had been added about 20 years earlier.
Then and Now, Dec. 4, 2024
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