Timeline

The farmhouse is built as part of a multi-acre working farm on what is now known as Mountain Road in Stowe. The original barn, pond and farmhouse all remain from that era.

All historic photos are courtesy of our kind neighbor Nancy Wagner.

After years of serving as a home for the family tending the farm, the property is turned into a guest house for visitors to the area. The original name was the “Bien Venue,” a nod to the French “bienvenue” meaning welcome, and a greeting to guests visiting from Canada in the north.

As the farmhouse was being used for visiting guests, the family that now owned the parcel with the barn, pond and former farming acreage used their property for multi-generational year-round camping. The barn was outfitted with two rustic unheated living spaces. The pond was stocked for fishing in the summer and used for skating in the winter. It was a fabulous retreat for this family, and their descendants still enjoy it to this day!

We purchased the farmhouse in 2020 from a family who had lovingly taken care of it, and its legacy, for over 40 years. This family used the property themselves and rented it out seasonally, continuing the tradition of serving as a refuge for guests that began as early as the 1930s.

After maintaining a seasonal tenant for our first season, we began permitting approvals and renovations in spring 2021. A challenging and lengthy processed followed, through the height of COVID-induced supply chain and construction delays.

Throughout this time, we salvaged materials (including original floorboards, joists and windows), scoured Vermont architectural reuse warehouses, and captured images of the elements we weren’t able to save. These gems include original 1850s newspaper pages that were used on top of the lath and under the plaster in the original kitchen walls, and the pattern of the lath itself, a photo of which was used to create wallpaper we feature in our teen bunk room.

We were thrilled to start welcoming friends and family during our “beta test” winter of 2022, and excited to introduce MileAway to a wider audience in 2023 and beyond.