186 North Willard Street

The John Dewey house, easily recognized by its historic marker, is a classic Greek Revival style brick house with a wraparound porch and rear wing. It’s built on a lot that was originally part of the Grasse Mount estate, which was, when built, bounded by Main Street, South Prospect Street, South Willard Street, and Cliff Street. Henry Leavenworth owned Grasse Mount from 1845 to 1853. He decided to break up the estate into lots; the lot for 186 North Willard was one of the first sold. Leavenworth sold it to Susan Page, wife of Lemuel W. Page, in April of 1851. Lemuel, a dry goods merchant, built the house. In 1859 he sold it to Davis Rich, who wanted it for his pregnant daughter Lucina and her husband, Archibald S. Dewey. They moved in, and John Dewey was born in the house.

In 1864The Deweys sold their home to Flora Camp and her husband Isaac. They in turn sold, in fall 1868, to Alanson and John W. Reed. By spring of 1869 the house belonged to Charles F. Wheeler. His family owned the house into the 20th century.

 H. Nelson Jackson, remembered as the first man to cross the country in an automobile, and his wife Bertha, who lived in the General William Wells house at 158 South Willard Street, bought the property. They sold, in 1942, to Burlington physician Hiram Upton and his wife Doris. Another Burlington physician, H. Carmer Van Buren, and wife Elizabeth, lived at #186 for thirty years, until 1995, when they sold to Paul and Nancy Cotton. During this time the Cottons have maintained the John Dewey house as one would wish for this appealing historic home. Their son Billy, an interior designer based in New York, has renovated the house; his work was featured in the 2013 holiday issue of Domino magazine.

Image credit: Redfin