Vermont Locals Vow to Rebuild Twice-Torched Historic General Store

Twice burned, the Putney General Store in Vermont is rising from the ashes.

On Monday night, the Putney Historical Society hosted a community gathering to update the status of a rebuilding project being planned for the site where the store –a community fixture since the 19th century — once stood.

The store burned in a fire in 2008, and the Society bought it hoping to rebuild. But just as the renovations finished, a Nov. 1 arson fire destroyed it entirely. No arrests have been made.

Now, with grants from Chittenden Bank and support from the Preservation Trust of Vermont and others, the Society is planning to rebuild again.