The Grange hall fire was reported minutes after fire fighters put out a fire at a nearby barn.
The first blaze started at about 8 p.m. Tuesday in a hay-filled former dairy barn on Hawkins Road. Four hours later, the grange --less than a mile's walk across open fields from the barn -- was afire.
The Vermont State Police said Wednesday that the Grange fire was set intentionally, but the cause of the barn fire and whether the incidents were related remained under investigation, said Detective Lt. David Covell, a supervisor based in Rutland.
``It's a sad day for Ferrisburgh,'' said Select Board Chairman Larry Simino.
The fire gutted the Grange, built in 1868 as a Congregational Church, the prominent centerpiece of Ferrisburgh.
Town residents had been working to renovate the Grange hall and turn the two-story building into a new Town Clerk's Office and community meeting place. Recent estimates put the project's cost at about $1 million, but a town bond vote a year ago and money-raising efforts had generated $725,000.
The Grange turned the building over to the town about six months ago. It was insured for $650,000, project officials said.
Tuesday night, the Selectboard signed a letter of intent to hire a construction firm for the renovations, said Simino. Members now will hold an emergency session tonight to consider the town's options, he said.
