A Brief History…

The building known as "The Riv" used to be on the west side of the Missisqoui River, just south of the bridge above the falls.  The Riv was one of the oldest buildings in town, originally constructed at some point in the 1830s by S.S. Keyes. Superbly located within walking distance of the town, it was just a carriage ride away from the shores of Lake Champlain.  When the steamships and railroads began to bring out of state visitors to Northwestern Vermont, the Riv served as a prime vacation spot.  It had many different owners and names over the years and survived longer than many of Vermont's old Grand Hotels. By the 1980s/90s the building started to fall into disrepair and looked its age.  Despite its storied history, it became harder to imagine the out of state bands, the wedding receptions, and all of the visitors from across the country. Soon the once proud building was crumbling, and it was easier for locals to imagine vagrants and homeless people sheltering there. The Swanton Historical Society preserved what it could, before the building was torn down in the Spring of 2022.