Dr. Wilson and the Round Schoolhouse

Brookline’s round schoolhouse – possibly the only one in the country – built in 1822, was designed by its founding instructor, Dr. John Wilson, a distinguished-looking British gentleman who was also the town’s part-time physician. Solidly constructed from red brick, with windows facing all directions, the school is a unique piece of Vermont architecture. Its architect is no less unique, for Dr. Wilson – if that was indeed his name – was indisputably a man of mystery.

Why, the locals wondered, would such an aristocratic gentleman work as a lowly schoolteacher? And why would he hole up in tiny Brookline when his medical skills could earn him a fortune in Brattleboro or Burlington? His behavior was an ongoing puzzle. Though brilliant and eloquent, he would never talk about his past. And why did he occasionally walk with a noticeable limp and invariably wear high collars or thick scarves when neither fashion nor weather required them? And, the ladies wondered, why was he so charming yet remote? Read more ->