Park-McCullough is one of New England's finest, most significant, and best-preserved Victorian mansions. It is an example of a country house in the French Second Empire Style and incorporates architectural features of the Romantic Revival style that was popular then. To a great extent, the estate retains the integrity and impact of its original design. Built in 1864-65 by attorney and entrepreneur Trenor Park, the "Big House," as it is fondly referred to by locals to this day, was lived in by two Vermont Governors, business titans, and even visited by a US President.
Trenor W. Park was born in Woodford, Vermont, just east of Bennington. He was ambitious and earned a law degree at the age of 21. His abilities caught the eye of Hiland Hall, son of one of the original settlers of Bennington and a leading political light. In 1846, Park married Hall's daughter, Laura.
Trenor moved to California, where he amassed a fortune by activity in many fields, including real estate, law, and overseeing the mining interests of John C. Fremont. Laura, his wife, preferred the East, and eventually, she persuaded him to return to Vermont, where they began to build on the 200 acres of land that was the Hall Farm. The family moved in on Christmas Day, 1865. In the pursuant years, the family's land expanded to include neighboring properties, finally covering almost 800 acres. The farm employed scores of community members over its 200-year history.
Trenor and Laura Park’s eldest daughter Eliza “Lizzie” Hall Park married John G. McCullough, an attorney and business associate of Trenor’s in California. After Trenor died in 1882, Lizzie bought out her siblings' interest in the house.
Lizzie and John McCullough made extensive renovations to the house in 1889-90, mainly to entertain President Benjamin Harrison who came to town to help dedicate the Bennington Monument (a project made possible through the work of Hiland Hall). The President was a most revered guest in 1891.
A model of the house sits below a christmas tree, 1930s
Lizzie's son, Hall Park McCullough, inherited the House upon her death. It was lived in by direct descendants of the family until 1965. After one hundred years of consistent family habitation, the house was given to the Park-McCullough House Association, which has managed it to the present day. The 800-acre farm was divided up, with the majority given to the Fund for North Bennington, which conserves the land for agricultural use and public enjoyment. Friends of Hiland Hall Garden oversees a portion of the original estate that is adjacent today. The garden leads to the nine+/- miles of trails behind.
The structures and grounds we conserve and present to visitors are integral to the history of the region and the country as a whole.
