Travel New England - Woodstock, Vermont

Woodstock is a charming town along US 4 in Central Vermont. Less than an hour's drive from Lebanon, New Hampshire and Dartmouth College or the ski areas of Killington, the town is considered by some as "The Prettiest Small Town in America." Woodstock is a blend of small shops, fine dining, inns, art galleries, rolling farmlands, and centuries old homesteads.

The Woodstock 'Town Crier' Bulletin Board adds to the town's New England charm.

Woodstock's town square, known as "The Green", is the centerpiece of the town. From May through October, it is home to a weekly farmer's market. Also, other events occur on The Green including an annual lobster dinner. The Woodstock Village Green is also home to a New England legend of a vampire's heart being burned and ashes buried on the Green. This and other legends throughout New England date to the New England Vampire Panic of the early 19th century.

Adding to its idealistic New England setting, Woodstock is also home to a covered bridge. The Middle Covered Bridge which carries Mountain Avenue over the Ottaquechee River was built in 1969. This rare "modern" town lattice covered bridge actually replaced an iron bridge which had stood since 1877. The Middle Bridge has been a survivor of two damaging events. The first event occurred in 1974 when arsonists set the bridge ablaze. The damage took three years and a cost of $55,000 to repair. More recently, the rains of Hurricane Irene damaged the Middle and other nearby bridges.

One of the interesting features of the Middle Bridge is the incorporated covered sidewalk that allows for spectacular views of the Ottaquechee River. In addition, something I found interesting is that both portals of the bridge are in different stains. The north portal is painted white; while the south portal consists of a more natural stain.

The town of around 3,000 people dates back to prior to the Revolutionary War. Chartered in 1761, Woodstock has transitioned from rural farming community to an early manufacturing town to the tourist destination that it is today.

Further Reading:

The Vermonter - The Historic Town of Woodstock, Vermont

Getting There:

Comments

Trimmer Springs Road (Fresno County)

Trimmer Springs Road is an approximately forty-mile rural highway located in Fresno County. The corridor begins near in California State Route 180 in Centerville and extends to Blackrock Road at the Kings River in the Sierra Nevada range near the Pacific Gas & Electric Company town of Balch Camp. The roadway is named after the former Trimmer Springs Resort and was originally constructed to facilitate access to the Sanger Log Flume. Trimmer Springs Road was heavily modified and elongated after construction of Pine Flat Dam broke ground in 1947. Part 1; the history of Trimmer Springs Road Much of the original alignment of Trimmer Springs Road was constructed to facilitate access to the Sanger Log Flume. The Kings River Lumber Company had been established in 1888 in the form of a 30,000-acre purchase of forest lands in Converse Basin. This purchase lied immediately west of Grant Grove and came to be known as "Millwood." The co...

When was Ventura Avenue east of downtown Fresno renamed to Kings Canyon Road? (California State Route 180)

California State Route 180 was one of the original Sign State Routes designated in August 1934. The highway east of Fresno originally utilized what was Ventura Avenue and Dunlap Road to reach what was then General Grant National Park. By late year 1939 the highway was extended through the Kings River Canyon to Cedar Grove. In 1940 General Grant National Park would be expanded and rebranded as Kings Canyon National Park. The Kings Canyon Road designation first appeared in publications circa 1941 when the California State Route 180 bypass of Dunlap was completed. Kings Canyon Road ultimately would replace the designation of Dunlap Road from Dunlap to Centerville and Ventura Avenue west to 1st Street in Fresno. The Kings Canyon Road would remain largely intact until March 2023 when the Fresno Council designated Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Cesar Chavez Boulevard was designated over a ten-mile corridor over what was Kings Canyon Road, remaini...

Interstate 99 at 30

When it comes to the entirety of the Interstate Highway System, Interstate 99, when fully completed, is nothing more than 161 miles of a roughly 48,000-mile system (0.3% of total length). Yet, to more than just a handful of people, the number '99' rubs them the wrong way. Interstate 99 follows the path of two US Highway Routes - US 220 from the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bedford north to Interstate 80 and then to US 15/Interstate 180 in Williamsport. It then follows US 15 from Williamsport north to Interstate 86 in Corning, New York. Interstate 99 runs with US 220 through much of Central Pennsylvania. (Doug Kerr) US 220 from Cumberland, Maryland to Interstate 80 and US 15 north of Williamsport were designated part of the Appalachian Highway System in 1965. Construction to upgrade both corridors progressed steadily but slowly. In 1991, the two corridors were included as a National High Priority Corridor. The route from Cumberland to Corning consisted of High P...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog