Chester A. Arthur Historic Site, Vermont

Established in 1903, this historic site was the first owned directly by the state of Vermont and is located at the site of the birthplace of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur. Arthur was born near this location in 1829 as his father was engaged as a pastor of the North Fairfield Baptist Church, which is located about a mile northwest of this site. Arthur was elected Vice President in the election of 1880 and served one term as President following the assassination of James A. Garfield on September 19, 1881. Included on site is a replica of the future president's birth home, which was constructed and dedicated on the grounds in 1953-the fiftieth anniversary of the site's original dedication. This historic site includes a nature trail, monument, and exhibits about Arthur's life and accomplishments in the Civil War and his term as President. The nearby town of Fairfield also has an exhibit about Chester A. Arthur in its Town Hall Museum.

Chester Arthur was born in the vicinity of this site on October 5, 1829, to Malvina and William Arthur. Malvina was the daughter of George Washington Stone and Judith Stevens and her paternal grandfather, Uriah Stone, served in the American Revolutionary War. Chester’s father was originally from Ireland, but he immigrated to America after graduating from college. Chester Arthur also had eight other siblings that lived to adulthood named Regina, Jane, Almeda, Ann, Malvina, William, George, and Mary. The family had to move often because William Sr. was an outspoken abolitionist and his views often resulted in congregations seeking another leader.

This replicate of the Arthur home was built using a photograph of the original location as a template for the design. The site also includes a granite monument that was placed at the dedication. Later research demonstrated that this was not the actual site of Chester Arthur's birth, although there is not a consensus on the true location, it is clear that the home that this reconstructed model was based upon was the future president's second home.

During his education, Chester quickly became a supporter of the Whig Party and Secretary of State Henry Clay even brawling with those students that supported James Polk. He attended Union College in 1845 where he became president of the debate society and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduating from college, Chester Arthur moved on to become a full-time teacher in Schaghticoke in New York. He then decided to pursue a career in law and passed the bar exam in 1854. In 1856, Chester met his future wife Ellen Herndon and the couple had three children.

When the American Civil War started, Arthur enlisted in the New York Militia. He served in many positions within the militia from Quartermaster General, Inspector General, and Engineer-in-Chief. After the war, Arthur returned to his law practice and helped his own law firm take off with his connections in the military. Chester and Ellen lost their first child, William, at the age of two which took a toll on the couple. Their two remaining children survived to adulthood. Chester’s political ambitions began to grow when he took a shot at the position of Naval Officer for the New York Custom House in 1866, but he failed to secure the position.

Arthur rose to the position of chairman of the New York City Republican executive committee in 1868. The position required frequent travel, but when Republicans gained control of the New York state legislative branch, Arthur was appointed as counsel to the New York Tax Commission where he served from 1869-1870. Arthur was offered the position of Commissioner of Internal Revenue, but he declined that position and was later appointed the Collector of the Port of New York where he served many years in. In the presidential election of 1880, James Garfield won the Republican nomination for the presidency and asked Chester Arthur to be his running mate. Arthur accepted the position but was accused of not being a natural-born citizen as required. DRival propagandists who supported the Democrats claimed Arthur was originally born in Ireland, but that was soon demonstrated to be false although the exact date and although the exact location of Arthur's birth would later be debated, his parents were in the United States at the time of his birth.

Garfield and Arthur won the election and became the new President and Vice President of the United States in 1881. Garfield was assassinated four months into his first term causing Arthur to be sworn in as the new President. President Arthur continued an investigation into payments the postal system which was then a potential source of fraud. He also signed a law to establish a tariff commission and supported civil service reform-another area that had been a source of inside dealing and fraud. Although he originally vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act, he later signed a revised version of that law and also supported more restrictions on immigration. A Republican in the wake of Reconstruction, he generally supported the cause of civil rights for African Americans which had been under attack since the 1870s but took few tangible steps as President to reverse the trend towards segregation in the federal government. In the 1884 Republican primaries, he suffered from poor health leading to the nomination of James G. Blaine who ended up losing to Grover Cleveland. Arthur served most of a single term as President and served in office without a formal Vice President.

After his presidency, Arthur returned home to New York. He was approached for a potential run for the U.S. Senate, but he decided he was done with politics. He instead returned to being a lawyer, but his declining health limited his work. On November 16, Arthur became severely ill and ordered his papers to be destroyed by fire. He died two days later from a cerebral hemorrhage and his burying was a private funeral at the Church of the Heavenly Rest. For those wanting to learn more about Arthur, Union College offers an online collection.

Chester Alan Arthur Papers, Library of Congress Digital Collections. Accessed July 22nd, 2023. https://www.loc.gov/collections/chester-alan-arthur-papers/about-this-collection/.

“President Chester Arthur Historic Site,” Vermont. Accessed June 10th 2021. https://historicsites.vermont.gov/chester-arthur

“Chester A. Arthur House,” National Park Service. Accessed June 10th 2021. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/chester_arthur_house.html