Wender·Vista
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVermont
in the village of Strafford, east-central Vermont

Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford

— — the pink house the senator drew himself.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A Gothic Revival cottage the colour of weathered rose, set back from the green in the village of Strafford. Senator Justin Smith Morrill designed it in the late 1840s and lived here between his decades in Washington. The Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890 funded the public universities that now educate millions. The house, the gardens, and seventeen acres of the original farm remain.

from the studio
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford
— bring it home

Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Justin Smith Morrill Homestead sits in the village of Strafford in Orange County, Vermont, about 20 miles north of White River Junction. The Gothic Revival house was designed by Morrill himself and built between 1848 and 1851 in the style popularised by A.J. Downing's pattern books. Painted the rose-pink of its original lime-and-iron-oxide wash, the cottage stands behind a row of mature sugar maples on the village green. The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation has run the site as a state historic site since 1969.

— the year

Morrill served thirteen consecutive terms in Congress, six in the House and seven in the Senate, between 1855 and 1898. He drafted the Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890, which deeded federal land to states to fund public colleges of agriculture and the mechanical arts. More than one hundred land-grant institutions in the United States — including Cornell, MIT, and the University of Vermont — trace their founding charters to these laws. Morrill lived in this house for nearly fifty years before his death in office.

— the visit

The homestead opens for guided tours from late May through mid-October, with hours posted on morrillhomestead.org. The house, the carriage barn, the gardens, and a short interpretive trail through the orchard are open to visitors. Admission supports the Friends of the Morrill Homestead. Strafford itself is a small village of about 1,000, reached on Route 132 from Sharon at I-89 Exit 2. The fall foliage in this hill country typically peaks the second week of October.

— where
United States · Strafford, Orange County, Vermont
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Strafford Town House
1799 meetinghouse
32 km S
White River Junction
junction town
N
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford
Strafford Town House
White River Junction
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Strafford — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Justin Smith Morrill was a Vermont senator and congressman who served thirteen consecutive terms between 1855 and 1898 and authored the Morrill Land-Grant Acts that established the U.S. public university system.

The 1862 and 1890 acts gave federal land to states to fund public colleges of agriculture and mechanics. Over a hundred American universities, including Cornell and MIT, were chartered under them.

The Gothic Revival cottage was designed by Senator Morrill himself and built between 1848 and 1851, drawing on the pattern books of Andrew Jackson Downing and the picturesque tradition.

The exterior was painted with a lime-and-iron-oxide wash in the original 1850s palette, producing the soft rose colour the state historic site has preserved and repainted to match.

The homestead is in the village of Strafford, in Orange County, Vermont, about 20 miles north of White River Junction off Route 132. The site is signed from the village green.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The homestead is the origin point of the land-grant system, so the tile resonates with graduates of Cornell, MIT, UVM, and the hundred-plus public universities chartered under the Morrill Acts.

The rose-and-green palette suits New England traditional, country modern, and historic-house interiors. It also lands in colour-saturated maximalist rooms where pink and sage are anchor tones.

Yes. The pink cottage against sugar maples is exactly the palette traditional New England design draws on. It pairs with painted wood, sage walls, and brass hardware.

A Medium or Large sits well above a study desk. For a sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural carries the wall without competing with seating.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface, so steam and splashes do not affect it. Wipe with microfibre and water.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our Knoxville studio. We do not license images. The art is hand-finished and slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

— if this one stayed with you

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