PACKARD,
LAMBERT. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." The architect who evolves
from a mental conception a well proportioned and harmonious structure is
an artist, and in a sense a public benefactor, for the poorest child on
the street shares with the owner and builder the pleasure of possession
in beautiful architecture. St. Johnsbury is to be congratulated in the
possession of many fine buildings and private residences, whose designer
is a modest and valued citizen of this town.
One of the loveliest suburban homes in this section is "Sheltered Gables,"
a modern villa embowered among trees and shrubbery, the residence of Lambert
Packard, situated on the Concord avenue road about one mile from St. Johnsbury
station. Mr. Packard has a fine farm of 120 acres, a nice dairy of sixteen
cows, and everything in good order. The Packards are descendants of Samual
Packard, a French Huguenot, who settled in Plymouth colony, the portion
now known as Brockton, Massachusetts, eighteen years after the landing
of the Pilgrims. Lambert was one of the nine children of Jefferson Packard,
there being one daughter and eight sons.
The
family of Jefferson Packard came to Waterford, Vermont, in 1847, and there
Lambert learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade of his father. At the
age of fifteen he was thrown upon his own resources. He went to Lowell
and Lawrence, Massachusetts, and soon entered all engineer's office, and
later an architect's office as draughtsman; finally he located in Boston
as pattern maker. In 1866 he returned to St. Johnsbury and located where
he now resides and there his aged parents found a good home. He was general
superintendent in building the Athenaeum for Governor Fairbanks. Later
models of his designing are the Post-office block, "Underclyffe," residence
of the late Colonel Fairbanks, Academy buildings, North Congregational
church, "Brantview," the residence of the late Colonel W. P. Fairbanks,
Y. M. C. A. building, Music hall, Museum, Pinkerton academy, Derry, New
Hampshire, Hotel Wheelock and Y. M. C. A building, Hanover, New Hampshire,
and Bradford Public library, besides other public buildings and numerous
residences not mentioned.
Mr.
Packard married Miss Amanda F. Richardson of Lawrence, Massachusetts, in
1862. They have had three children, two sons and a daughter, Miss Mary
Emma Packard being the only one living.
Source:
Successful Vermonters, William H. Jeffrey, E. Burke, Vermont, The Historical
Publishing Company, 1904, page106-107.
Prepared
by Tom Dunn, August 2005
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