Entering the Smith Room at the St. Albans Historical Museum is like stepping back in time, into a home in the 1800s. There are elaborated dresses on sewing forms, incredible photos of mansions lost to the Depression years later, even a vase and phonograph to set the scene of what life was like at one time.
A portrait in a gold frame hangs above an intricate wooden bench. It is of St. Albans-born John Gregory Smith.
Smith was governor of Vermont from 1863 to 1865; when the Civil War ravaged the country, even reaching tiny St. Albans with the now infamous St. Albans Raid of 1864.
Smith also took over the Central Vermont Railroad, started by his father John Smith and other investors and sat on a number of local boards, including local banks and the cooperative creamery.
“They had their fingers in just about everything here in St. Albans, anything that generated much money the Smiths were involved with,” said Allyn McDonald, museum director.
The portrait had been kept in the Smith family until about two years ago, when it was given to the museum by Janet Manning, of Fairfax, a member of the Smith family (though not a direct descendant of the governor).
The artist is unknown; no signature can be found. The year it was done is a mystery as well, though McDonald said it is easy to assume it was of Smith in his later years.
The portrait probably at one time was displayed in “The Towers,” Smith’s home on the corner of Congress and Smith streets. The home was demolished during the Great Depression and photos at the museum show some of the grandeur of the mansion, not unlike the fictional Charles Foster Kane’s Xanadu in the famous film, “Citizen Kane.”
The portrait had been a closet for about two decades when acquired by the museum, so it needed some work. The upper part of the piece had come loose from the stretcher, McDonald said, causing the paint to flake a bit and there was a small tear. The frame hadn’t been cleaned in years either.
Financial support for the museum sent from Smith’s descendants was utilized to seek out professionals to restore the piece. The painting was sent to East Middlebury and the frame to Shelburne. About six months later both were returned to the museum.
McDonald was pleased with the final result now on display for visitors to see.
This portrait nearly completes the museum’s holdings of Smith family images. Also adorning the Smith Room’s walls are: John Gregory Smith’s wife, Ann Eliza Brainerd Smith (whose painting will likely be restored next); father, John Smith; and brother Worthington. Son, Edward Curtis Smith, is missing, though there is a smaller photograph of him.
In fact, many photos are in the Smith Room. McDonald explained that during the governor’s day portraits were a sign of wealth.
