It
was here that vacationing Vice President Calvin Coolidge
received an urgent message from Washington D.C. informing him of the
death of President Warren Harding. Coolidge was immediately sworn
in as the 30th President of the United States by his father, a NotaryPublic.
Unique in American history, this event occurred by the light of a
kerosene lamp in the old family homestead on August
3, 1923 at 2:47 a.m.
The
birthplace of the 30th President is a nearly perfect example
of an early 20th century
Vermont hill town.
Plymouth
Notch, Vermont, the birthplace and boyhood home of Calvin Coolidge,
remains virtually unchanged since the early twentieth century. Even
during the Roaring Twenties, its rural simplicity appealed to scandal-weary
Americans. The homes of Calvin Coolidge's family and neighbors,
the community church, cheese factory, one-room schoolhouse, and
general store have been carefully preserved, and many buildings
have their original furnishings. The President is buried in the
town cemetery with seven generations of Coolidges.
Visitors are sometimes surprised that a president should be buried
in such plain surroundings, but when Coolidge left the White House,
he said, "We draw our Presidents from the people...I came from
them. I wish to be one of them again."
Plymouth
Notch was always home to Calvin Coolidge. He returned whenever he
could. Touring Vermont nearly a year after the devastating Flood
of 1927, he was greatly impressed by the progress made in recovery
and felt a kinship with the Vermonters who met his train in Bennington.
'Silent Cal' was deeply moved, and spoke spontaneously to the crowd:
Vermont
is a state I love.
I could not look upon the peaks of
Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield, and Equinox
without being moved in a way
that no other scene could move me.
It was here that I first saw the light of day;
here that I received my bride;
here my dead lie, pillowed on the
loving breast of our everlasting hills.
I
love Vermont
because of her hills and valleys,
her scenery and invigorating climate,
but most of all because
of her indomitable people.
They are a race of pioneers who have almost
beggared themselves to serve others.
If the spirit of liberty should vanish
in other parts of the union
and support of our institutions should languish,
it could all be replenished from the
generous store held by the people of
this brave little state of Vermont.
Plymouth
Notch, Vermont
HOURS
May 29 to October 17, 2010
Open
daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The
site's office, located in the Aldrich House,
is open weekdays year-round and
has exhibits especially designed for winter visitors
ADMISSION
Adults - $7.50
Children 6 to 14 - $2.00
Under 6 - free
Family pass - $20.00
Physical Address:
President
Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site
3780 Route 100A
Plymouth, VT 05056
From points
southeast or northeast:
Take I-91 Exit 8. Follow Rte 131 west 19 miles to Ludlow.
Go north on Rte 100 for 11 miles, then right on Rte 100A.
Plymouth Notch is approximately 1 mile north.
From points
southwest or northwest:
Take either US Rte 7 or US Rte 4 to Rutland. Follow Rte 4
east for 23 miles until its junction with Rte 100A. Plymouth
Notch is 6 miles south of U.S. 4 on VT 100A.
Physical Address:
