The Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor, one of Vermont’s first tourist attractions, quietly closed last fall after nearly 90 years in operation.
The museum, housed inside what was once the Vermont Marble Company’s headquarters, struggled to turn a profit for decades, according to board president Kevin Thornton. That trend worsened during the pandemic, as the museum had relied on senior bus tours as a major source of attendance.
The museum commemorated not only the contributions of the Vermont Marble Company to the development of the once-industrial town of Proctor — named for company founder Redfield Proctor — but also its role in shaping iconic U.S. landmarks. The Lincoln Memorial, U.S. Supreme Court Building, Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery all have marble quarried or finished in Vermont.
“It’s a loss to the nation,” Thornton said of the museum’s closure.
The closure comes after years of fighting to stay afloat. In 2012, former owners Marsha and Martin Hemm announced plans to close and sell the museum’s collection. The Preservation Trust of Vermont stepped in, purchasing the building and its contents. The trust then formed a nonprofit to operate the museum, hoping to eventually transfer ownership of the building back to the museum once it became financially stable.
But it soon became clear that building ownership would be more of a financial burden for the museum than an asset, according to Ben Doyle, president of the trust. In 2022, the trust sold the building to ZION Growers, an industrial hemp processing company, for just $1. In return, the trust secured a 99-year lease on the museum space for $1 per year. ZION Growers also agreed to a preservation easement, ensuring the building’s historic elements would be maintained.
“You name it, we tried it,” Doyle said of efforts to save the museum.
But the nonprofit model also proved unsustainable. As the museum neared its end, revenue was insufficient to support any full-time staff, according to Thornton. Gift shop sales were sluggish, and the remote location made it difficult to attract new visitors.
After a temporary closure last spring, the museum’s board decided to shutter permanently in fall 2024.
“Everything was just not working,” Thornton said.
The exhibits had been virtually unchanged in the past 90 years, Thornton added, without the kind of interactive installations people have to come to expect from museums. Displays included a hall of presidential busts, from George Washington to George H.W. Bush; luxurious marble bathrooms; and a marble chapel.
Thornton noted that the Vermont Marble Company started the museum mainly as a promotional showroom, which resulted in certain narratives being omitted. For example, the company was at the center of a workers’ strike that attracted national attention in 1935.
The closure may be emblematic of broader trends in the museum world. A 2024 survey of museum leaders by the American Alliance of Museums showed that a quarter of museums across the country are dipping into their reserves or endowments to cover operating expenses, likely still recovering from the pandemic’s impact on attendance.
Now, the Preservation Trust is seeking a new steward for the museum’s collection. Doyle emphasized that any potential buyer would need to preserve the collection for future generations. He’s hopeful that even with the museum’s closure, the legacy of Proctor’s marble industry will continue to be shared.