The Story Behind the Kelley Hotel and Kelley Stand Road

a Bennington Historical Society presentation

In the years after statehood, there were many efforts to build roads (turnpikes as they were called then). One such turnpike was built connecting the towns of Sunderland, Stratton and Wardsboro. Today that road is known as the Kelley Stand Road. Members of the Kelley family were instrumental in getting that road funded, in developing a logging business, and then building a large boarding house which became known as the Kelley Stand Hotel. This presentation introduces the members of the Kelley family and their lasting claim to the road that bears their name. It also introduces the poetry of John Williams Kelley, whose poems were discovered recently in a nearby barn.

Presenter Avis Hayden has been researching family histories since 1990. In recent years she has enjoyed exploring the ways that families fit into a region’s cultural and economic history. Such is the case with the Kelleys. Avis is a descendant of Richard Kelley, who is the grandfather of the first innkeeper at the Kelley Stand Hotel. Since completing a program in genealogical research (Boston University, 2016) she has published five articles and has given several presentations. She volunteers at the Bennington Museum Regional History Room and with the Russell Collection of Vermontiana.

The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge with support from Nexus Consulting. You can support the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation.