The Italianate home at the top of Howard Street was constructed
in 1869 for Daniel Dyer Howard. Howard was born in Pittstown
NY in 1801 and moved with his family to Burlington in 1812. When
Howard was 18 he worked as the steward and barkeeper on the boat
"Phoenix," which burned early on the morning of September
5, 1819. Howard is reported to have aided in saving lives during
that tragedy.(1) Howard was a teller at the bank of Burlington
and then had a store on Church Street. However, where Howard
really made his mark was in the hotel industry. D.D. Howard ran
hotels in Keeseville and Troy, NY before moving to New York City.
While in New York he was the proprietor of the Exchange Hotel,
and later with his brother John built the Howard Hotel. According
to Howard's obituary in the Burlington Free Press, the Howard
Hotel was "the hotel of New York" at the time.
After leaving New York and the hotel business Howard returned
to Burlington and purchased the Captain Lyon home on College
Street. Howard's obituary further states that he purchased the
"Burr Place" south of the city. City land records show
a transfer from L. Barnes to D.D. Howard of the Burr Place on
South Willard Street, presumably this is the site of 462 South
Willard.(2) Howard Died in May of 1871 and had been traveling
abroad for the previous two years spending the summer of 1869
in France and 1870 in France, Egypt, and Switzerland.(3) It was
while in Geneva that he died. Due to this chronology, it is questionable
if Howard ever resided in this house.
The Historic Sites & Structures Survey states that after
Howard's death it was leased to Edward Barlow, whose name appears
on the 1890 map. Barlow operated a dry goods store on Church
Street and occupied this house until 1900. The home was vacant
in 1901, but by 1902 Reuben A. Cooke was the occupant. Cooke
was at one time the vice-president of Queen City Cotton Co, treasurer
of the Burlington Building and Loan, and treasurer of the Burlington
Federal Savings and Loan Association. Cooke occupied this home
as late as 1946.(4)
(1)Hemminway's Vermont Gazzeteer (2)Burlington Land Transfers 1865-66 page 32 (3)Burlington Free Press May 31, 1871 (4)Burlington City Directories