Killington Construction Services

Killington is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 811 at the 2010 census. Killington Ski Resort and numerous vacation lodges are located here. The town was previously named Sherburne, but was renamed to its original name, “Killington,” in 1999. One of the area’s major business ventures can be found in the Killington Ski Resort, the largest ski area in the Eastern U.S. Chris Johnson Contracting offers Killington Construction Services for all types of projects.

Killington Peak and Pico Peak Early History Heart of the Green Mountains – Chartered in 1761 These two peaks were both owned by the late Mortimer Proctor of the Vermont Marble Company. Pico was given to him as a 21st birthday present in 1910. He sold it to Pico Ski Inc. in 1948. Killington Peak was bought by Mr. Proctor in 1919 from M.E. Wheeler of Rutland and given to the State of Vermont in 1938. The Vermont Marble Company sold around Killington Peak some 6,000 acres of land to the State in 1945 to be included in the Coolidge State Forest. This is the land which the Sherburne Corporation had leased from the State for its ski lifts, lodges, etc. in 1957.

In the early days, almost anyone who had a little extra room was expected to take in travelers. More formally recognized hostelries were Josiah Wood’s Tavern Stand at the Mission Church, the Coffee House on Elbow Road in North Sherburne, and Ruftis Richardson’s hotel near the Harley Gifford house. But the most recent and best remembered one was adjacent to the present Grange Hall. It was build in 1840, enlarged for a tavern in 1863, and run by Benj. Maxham for 18 years. In 1889 Augusta Bates Taylor, great aunt of Oren Bates and grandmother of Mrs. Florence Taylor Hall owned the hotel. In 1891, Ida Perkins married Horace Wilson and they lived at and ran the hotel for seven years. There was no running water, so they drew a barrel of water daily from a spring barrel and watering trough 500 ft. away (at the post office). Horace bargained with Mrs.Taylor that if she would provide the pipe he would dig the ditch, which he did. After it was laid, she mentioned to him that it hadn’t been covered over. “That’s right, Mrs. Taylor, I only said I’d dig the ditch.” So she had to pay for covering it, much to her dismay.

The Taylors always reserved a room for themselves in the hotel in case they came to Sherburne on business. They also owned the Michael Smith House next door and occupied it on the 31st of March each year, bringing livestock with them from Plymouth to escape the higher taxes on personal property in effect in that town. In fact, this led to a lawsuit filed by Plymouth vs. Sherburne to recover lost taxes. Testimony of Mrs. Wilson clinched the matter concerning their residence in Sherburne, and Plymouth lost the case.

There was no hotel operation after the Wilson’s left in 1898 and the big house became a dwelling house for several families, and eventually collapsed.

Some Ski History

At 4,235 feet in elevation, Killington Peak is second highest peak in Vermont, as well as one of the highest in all of New England. As skiing took Vermont by storm in the middle of the 20th century, skiers had their sights set on this towering peak. Initially interested in purchasing Ascutney, Pres Smith was persuaded by Perry Merrill to look into developing a ski area on Killington Peak. After years of work, Smith and the Sherburne Corp. started

Killington Basin ski area on Snowdon Peak on December 13, 1958. The future of the ski area looked bright, as a Thanksgiving storm dumped two to three feet of snow on the mountain that fall. With only four Poma lifts serving the area, it was but a preview of what would come.

The ski area expanded to Killington Peak proper in 1959-60 with the installation of the Glades poma lift. It continued its move into the “big leagues” in 1960 with the installation of the 6,300 foot Killington double chairlift and three new trails.

Beginner options were improved in the following years, as the first Snowshed chairlift was installed for the 1961-62 season, while sights were set on “North Peak.” North Peak would be renamed and debut for the 1962-63 season as Ram’s Head.

Looking to hedge against lean years while also extending the ski season, Killington’s first attempt at installing a snowmaking system took place for the 1963-64 season. The initial attempts were unsuccessful, as the aluminum pipe installed in the Snowshed area exploded under pressure. Nonetheless, Killington continued to improve the system.

Over the next few years, additional chairlifts were added to existing pods as more and more skiers continued to flock to the resort. As a profitable and growing business, Killington invested in numerous initiatives, such as a news bureau, weekly accounting closeouts, and analysis of competitors via airplane. All the while, a huge development was in the works for the latter part of the decade.

On August 28, 2011, Vermont suffered significant damage from Hurricane Irene. In addition to severe road washouts in the area, Killington lost a bar in the base area. Work on the summit lodge was slowed while repairs started elsewhere, including the construction of an umbrella bar to replace the lost building. After a seven year break, Killington returned to its late season dominance in 2012-13, when it stayed open through May 26. The Robert Carl Williams Associates designed Peak Lodge for the following season.

An expansion of off season activities ramped up starting in 2014 with the debut of lift served mountain biking via the Snowshed Quad. Further attractions were constructed in 2015, including a ropes course, a Soaring Eagle ride, and a mountain coaster.

Source: Killington Town & New England Ski History websites

http://www.killingtontown.com/

http://www.killington.com/

Killington Pico Area Association

http://www.picomountain.com/