Hidden History Of Vermont

Vermont's history is marked by fierce independence, generosity of spirit and the saga of human life along its steep slopes and fertile valleys. Meet the widow who outwitted Tories and may have spied for the Green Mountain Boys. Encounter the family who gained a national following by summoning spirits. Discover why one governor opposed women's suffrage and how that may have involved spirits of another sort. Visit an island retreat where Harpo Marx cheated at croquet and satirist Dorothy Parker wore nothing but a garden hat. Historian Mark Bushnell offers a glimpse of the Green Mountain State rarely seen.

Sitting on a hillside overlooking a spectacular lake and mountains, Burlington was destined to attract greatness, although much of its history has remained hidden. It was the territory of the Alnôbak, who lived in concert with nature for thousands of years, and later the swashbuckling Green Mountain Boy Ethan Allen and his kin. Self-made tycoon Lawrence Barnes helped make the city the third-largest lumber shipping port in the country. The resilient Fanny Penniman created the first herbarium, and her daughter inspired a nineteenth-century hospital. Bootlegger Cyrus Dean was convicted of murder and publicly executed in the hill section. Irish, French Canadian, Jewish and Italian neighborhoods all combined to give a unique character to the city. Join author and historian Glenn Fay as he reveals stories and images of Burlington's forgotten past.

On the surface, Barre appears to be like many other Vermont communities--its scenery picturesque and its people friendly and industrious. But other stories, unique to Barre, lie hidden. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, newspapers reported many local events that reveal in charming detail what life was like during their own time. Local author Russell Belding has meticulously combed antique newspapers to find them and reveals how observing their change over time affords a fascinating look into the evolution of this community. Though they have been forgotten by time or replaced with more well-known tales, these moments in history have helped shape Barre into the New England community it is today.

From the French and Indian War to the exposure of Maple Corner, thirty-two events that shaped the Green Mountain State

Tucked between the Canadian border and Lake Champlain, Franklin County was one of colonial America's earliest economic, military and cultural byways. From Native American occupation to America's early wars and bootlegging, many of the region's stories remain untold. Revolutionary War heroics in Swanton included skirmishes over Simon Metcalf's prized sawmill. Tory families settled in the border town of Highgate right after the war, mistakenly believing they were in Canada. Lake Champlain and the small rivers of the county were a key resource for the once-thriving ice harvesting industry. From the development of the first poor farms to the "Back to the Land" movement, the region has experienced fascinating social and economic change. Join local historian and author Jason Barney as he unveils the area's forgotten past.

In this second edition of their classic text, Klyza and Trombulak use the lens of interconnectedness to examine the geological, ecological, and cultural forces that came together to produce contemporary Vermont. They assess the changing landscape and its inhabitants from its pre-human evolution up to the present, with special focus on forests, open terrestrial habitats, and the aquatic environment. This edition features a new chapter covering from 1995 to 2013 and a thoroughly revised chapter on the futures of Vermont, which include discussions of Tropical Storm Irene, climate change, eco-regional planning, and the resurgence of interest in local food and energy production. Integrating key themes of ecological change into a historical narrative, this book imparts specific information about Vermont, speculates on its future, and fosters an appreciation of the complex synergy of forces that shaped this region. This volume will interest scholars, students, and Vermonters intrigued by the state's long-term natural and human history.

From a cross-border Confederate attack to the underdressed men from Maple Corner, It Happened in Vermont looks at intriguing people and episodes from the history of the Green Mountain State. Learn why a militia sent to defuse a dangerous mob of striking miners ended up handing out their own rations. Read about the shocking “ball of light” that descended upon early twentieth-century Burlington, exploded—knocking a horse senseless—and then rapidly shot back up into the sky. Follow two of America’s founding fathers as they traveled through the state, revelling over the region’s flora and fauna and recording their impressions of its residents. Discover what caused “the year without a summer,” when trees turned black and crops fell victim to intermittent hard frosts and snowstorms interrupted by short intervals of intense heat and drought Relive the terrible flood of 1927 that wreaked havoc in communities along the Winooski River and its tributaries, killing eighty-two people and washing away homes, bridges, and railroad tracks Mark Bushnell worked for a dozen years as an editor for Vermont newspapers, then turned to freelance writing in 2002. He is the author of Hidden History of Vermont and Discover Vermont! The Vermont Life Guide to Exploring Our Rural Landscape, and lives in Middlesex, Vermont, with his wife and son.

Hidden amongst the hills and mountains of southern Vermont are the remnants of sixty former ski areas, their slopes returning to forest and their lifts decaying. Today, only fourteen remain open and active in southern Vermont. Though they offer some incredible skiing, most lack the intimate, local feel of these lost ski trails. Jeremy Davis, creator of the New England Lost Ski Areas Project, looks into the over-investment, local competition, weather variation, changing skier habits, insurance costs and just plain bad luck that caused these ski areas to succumb and melt back into the landscape. From the family-operated Hogback in Windham County to Clinton Gilbert's farm in Woodstock, where the very first rope tow began operation in the winter of 1934, these once popular ski areas left an indelible trace on the hearts of their ski communities and the history of southern Vermont.

On the surface, Barre appears to be like many other Vermont communities--its scenery picturesque and its people friendly and industrious. But other stories, unique to Barre, lie hidden. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, newspapers reported many local events that reveal in charming detail what life was like during their own time. Local author Russell Belding has meticulously combed antique newspapers to find them and reveals how observing their change over time affords a fascinating look into the evolution of this community. Though they have been forgotten by time or replaced with more well-known tales, these moments in history have helped shape Barre into the New England community it is today.