About

Once the country estate of iron master Stephen Vail, the eight museum buildings feature exhibits interpreting 19th-Century domestic and industrial life. The most significant building is the Factory, a National Historic Landmark where Vail's son, Alfred, worked with Samuel F.B. Morse to perfect the telegraph. It was here, on Jan. 11, 1838, the electromagnetic telegraph was first publicly demonstrated, making Historic Speedwell the Birthplace of the Telegraph.