History of the Hotel
This Railroad Hotel, one of the oldest in Vermont, was built by Fernando Cortez Kimball, Jr. in 1876. In 1880 Kimball leased it to Burton Dickenson, who installed a telegraph office. Subsequent tenants included brewers, barbers, and patent tonic makers. In 1892 Kimball sold to Charles Best, who added electricity and plumbing and enlarged the dining room. Fire claimed the original Mansard roof in 1923. Vermont architect Louis Newton was engaged to revise the structure, giving it an austere Colonial Revival-style appearance. Newton’s changes unified the hotel’s transition from French Second Empire to Colonial Revival style and are an example of early 20th century rehabilitation by a noted Vermont architect.
The current owner has just completed a 2-year restoration, incorporating all new systems and energy-efficient features while retaining the hotel’s historic look and feel. You’ll have to see it to believe it: the natural light in all the rooms is incredible!
About Enosburg
The Village of Enosburg Falls is uniquely situated on the Missisquoi River in northwest Vermont. It is 7 miles from the Canadian border; 9 miles from the Jay Peak ski resort; 12 miles from St. Albans, Vermont; 40 miles from Burlington and its international airport; 75 miles from Montreal; and 200 miles from Boston.
A regional center for commerce and agriculture, Enosburg Falls is a true living and working community, not a tourist town. It’s exceptionally pedestrian-friendly: restaurants, groceries (Hannaford’s and Wood Meadow Farm), coffee (Flying Disc), consignment store (The Mighty Oak), a bottle shop, banks, post office, library, and churches all are within easy walking distance. There’s even an Opera House (c. 1892) hosting regular theatrical and musical events, and a golf course (open during the summer months).
Perhaps Enosburg’s finest feature is the Rail Trail, which passes directly in front of the hotel and follows an old rail line for 27 miles along the Missisquoi river valley between St. Albans and Richford, connecting with Vermont’s extensive trail network. It’s a safe family biking environment and a terrific outdoor walking or saddle trail with views of farms, fields, the river, and Jay Peak. Snowmobiles are welcome in the winter months – and you can check out a pair of snowshoes at the library.
Other area activities include golf, canoes and kayaks, winter sports, theater, dance, and music. There are lakes for boating and mountain trails for hiking. Serious cyclists flock to the area in the summer months. Summer art, food, and music festivals abound – catch a free concert on the village green, or an ice cream social in Maple Park. Visitors with a culinary bent will enjoy prize-winning cheeses, artisanal bakeries, craft breweries and cideries – even a vineyard in nearby Franklin. Or grab your passport and head across the border– it’s only 7 miles away. French restaurants and vineyards waiting around the villages of Freleighburg, Sutton, and Knowlton.