The Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont

The Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont is a lovely landmark and may have been the first community church in the country.

Representatives of five Protestant congregations built the structure as a community house of worship in 1812-13. Legend has it that 17 men worked on it — one for each of the 16 sides, plus one for the belfry.

Located across the street from the town park, the church became town property in 1880, and town meetings were held here for years. It's open daily July 4 to Labor Day, and weekends from Memorial Day through fall foliage season.

A volunteer will show you around. Our guide was a nice older gentleman who knew everything about the church and town.

Richmond is on U.S. Highway 2 in northwest Vermont, 13 miles southeast of Burlington and about 3 miles south of I-89. To find out more, call the Richmond town administrator at 1-802-434-5170 or check out www.richmondvt.com.