A
Chester
A. Arthur
Fairfield
In 1880, Vermonter Chester
Alan Arthur was sworn in as the nation’s 21st president. The son of an impoverished
Baptist minister, Arthur was born in a small temporary parsonage. He became
a lawyer who advocated for civil rights and, as president, he championed civil
service reform. Today a visit to the reconstructed homestead offers a pictorial
portrayal of Arthur’s life and political career.
B
Hyde
Log Cabin
Grand Isle
One of the oldest log
cabins in the nation, this structure was build by a frontier settler in 1783.
Using hand-hewn logs, Jedediah Hyde, Jr. built a home for himself that has stood
for more than two centuries. Today the site, now restored, has been furnished
with items collected by the nearby Grand Isle Historical Society.
C
Fisher
Covered Railroad Bridge
Wolcott
A 103 foot railway bridge
across the Lamoille River sports a full-length cupola—making it one of the most
unusual covered bridges in the nation. The cupola served to vent smoke and steam
from passing locomotives.
D
Chimney
Point Tavern
Addison
For more than 12,000
years, the jutting shore-line known as Chimney Point has been a strategic settlement
for peoples occupying the Champlain Valley. Native tribes camped here as they
hunted and fished their way up and down the waterway, and it became an important
stop for traders. Near the end of the French and Indian War, French settlers
torched and fled the site. The only things standing were charred chimneys which
inspired the Point’s name.
E
Mount
Independence
Orwell
Located at Mount Independence are several trails connecting
well preserved remains of the Revolutionary War fortification. The trails pass
through approximately four hundred acres of pasture and woodlands with vistas
overlooking Lake Champlain and the surrounding countryside. Cows, horses, and
other animals graze the site and keep it open for our enjoyment.
G
Hubbardton
Battlefield
Hubbardton
A year after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence, the War raged on. A massive British invasion
from Canada chased the Continental Army from Mount Independence south through
Hubbardton. Here, on a steamy July day in 1777, the Green Mountain Boys, a small
rag-tag band under the leadership of Seth Warner, stayed behind to slow the
advance of the Redcoats so that the main force would have time to retreat. On
a grassy hill, the scrappy New Englanders made their stand.
H
Justin
Morrill Homestead
Strafford
A high school dropout
at the age of 15, Justin Morrill opened the doors of higher education to millions
of Americans. He retired at the age of 39 as a gentleman to study architecture
and gardening—and to build a charming 17 room gothic mansion. Retirement was
short and he was soon elected to the U. S. Congress and later to the Senate.
There he sponsored legislation that established the nation’s land grant colleges,
forever changing the shape of the nation’s higher education system.
I
Coolidge Homestead
Plymouth Notch
Vice President Calvin Coolidge was visiting
his boyhood home in August 1923 when he received the urgent news of President
Warren Harding's death. Coolidge was immediately sworn in as the 30th U.S. President
by his father, a notary public. The following year, Calvin Coolidge returned to
Plymouth Notch and established his Summer White House office in the dance hall over the
local general store.
J
Old
Constitution House
Windsor
Less than a year after
the signing of the Declaration of Independence, another new Republic was taking
shape. Delegates from the newly independent Republic of Vermont gathered at
a tavern in Windsor to adopt a constitution. The Vermont constitution was far
reaching - the first to prohibit slavery, establish universal voting rights
for all males and authorize a public school system. The constitution guided
the Republic for 14 years until 1791, when Vermont was admitted to the Union
as the fourteenth state.
K
Eureka
Schoolhouse
Springfield
For more than 100 years,
the children of Springfield’s Eureka District attended school in this tiny wooden
building—one of the oldest public structures in Vermont. Today located near
a lovely picnic site and the Baltimore Covered Bridge, the schoolhouse is home
to an exhibit depicting life in a one-room schoolhouse, including the books
and materials used by local school children.
L
Scott
Covered Bridge
Townshend
Built in three sections,
the Scott bridge spans a total of 276 feet across the West River and uses two
different truss systems.
M
Bennington
Battle Monument
Bennington
In late summer of 1777,
the Continental Army beat a hasty retreat toward Bennington from the forts at
Mount Independence and Ticonderoga. A combined force of British and Germans
pursued, but were badly in need of supplies. The Americans, carrying what is
believed to be the first American flag in battle, defeated a Hessian raid on
Bennington, and forced the British to proceed to Saratoga without the necessary
supplies. At Saratoga, the British met a stunning defeat that turned the tide
of the War.
