Standing on this hillside since at least 1790, the Hall–Putnam–Joslin–Edson–Culver House is among the oldest surviving homes in Grafton and the oldest known residence in the historic Middletown district. Built in the restrained Federal style, its symmetrical five-bay façade, central entrance, and simple proportions reflect the architecture of Vermont’s earliest permanent settlements.
Local tradition associates the house with the Reverend William Hall (1744–1823), Grafton’s first permanent Congregational minister. Although the house was likely constructed by landowner Nathaniel Dumbolton, Hall purchased the property in 1793 after living here for several years. Soon afterward, he exchanged this farm for another closer to Grafton’s newly completed meetinghouse.
For more than a century, the farmhouse served as the center of a working hill farm. The Putnam, Joslin, Howard, Edson, and Culver families each left their mark on the property while adapting to the changing agricultural economy of southern Vermont. Fields produced hay, grain, and livestock, while Francis L. Edson became known for one of Grafton’s largest sheep flocks during the late nineteenth century and maintained a sugar maple “orchard” of approximately 200 trees. Later generations diversified further, operating cobbler and blacksmith shops from the property.
By the 1930s the farmhouse had fallen into disrepair before being rescued and restored as a country retreat. In 1969, it entered a new chapter as The Inn at Woodchuck Hill Farm, welcoming guests from around the world, opening seasonally for the following fifty years, until 2019.
Today, the farmhouse remains the historic heart of Woodchuck Hill Farm. As a witness to more than two centuries of settlement, farming, craftsmanship, and hospitality, it connects visitors with the people whose lives shaped this landscape—and with the ongoing effort to preserve its history for generations to come.