Along a boring stretch of State Road 14 that parallels the White River, this small historical…read moremonument remembers a darker time in colonial history. "The Royalton Raid, October 16, 1780. To terrorize the valley from Tunbridge to Royalton, nearly 300 Indians led by a British officer fell on these defenseless frontier settlements, killing 4, taking 26 prisoners and reducing Royalton to ashes. The captives were hauled back to Canada were sold for $8.00 a head. This was the most calamitous of Vermont's many Indian raids."

The marker and a monument stand in front of the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace and Museum which was…read moreclosed when I was here, so here's the monument and marker. Prior to the crucial Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas had defeated Lincoln in the 1858 US Senate election in Illinois. Douglas became the leading proponent of popular sovereignty, which held that each territory should be allowed to decide whether to allow slavery within its borders, in order to deal with the contentious issue of extending slavery into the territories. He was one of the brokers of the "Compromise of 1850", which sought to avert a sectional crisis. Both pro- and anti-slavery activists rejected this approach to resolve the problem. Ultimately, Lincoln's strong support in the North led to his victory in the election. After the Battle of Fort Sumter, Douglas rallied support for the Union, but he died in June 1861 as the Civil War began. It reads, "The 'little giant' of national politics, born in Brandon in 1813, later moved to Middlebury to learn cabinet making. Returning to Brandon, he attended the Academy. Moving to Illinois in 1833, his career merged with the stream of American politics, reaching the height in his famous debates with Abraham Lincoln in 1858. Although Lincoln's opponent during the campaign, he supported the Union until his death in June, 1861." The marker was erected in 1957 by the Vermont Historic Sites Commission and it appears to have been updated recently as it is in excellent condition. Adjacent to the marker is a stone marker with a bas relief of Douglas and it reads, "Stephen A. Douglas. Teacher, Lawyer, Orator, Statesman. United States Senator from Illinois 1847 to 1861 Democratic candidate for President of the United States against Abraham Lincoln. Loyal supporter of Lincoln and the Union in the early days of the War of the Rebellion. Born at Brandon April 23 1813 in the cottage west of this site. Died in Chicago June 3 1861." [Review 18486 overall - 85 in Vermont - 2008 of 2022.]

This small marker remembers a time in recent history that sounds really cool. It reads:…read more "Smuggler's Notch. The southern gateway to Mount Mansfield and Smugglers Notch is via Route 100, once a plank road, the bed for Mt. Mansfield Electric Rail Road, and one of the earliest concrete roads. From the village of Stowe, Route 108 meanders past the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 4393 feet, and climbs through Smugglers North, the reputed route for cattle smugglers and hiding place for Lake Champlain pirates. The BIG SPRING has been popular since the 19th century when its waters were claimed to have curative powers. The caves, which retain ice until July, the ski resort and the many trails attract hikers and travelers in all seasons. " - Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, 2005

Everyone had to be born somewhere so Rutland Vermont is the birthplace of the famous John Deere and…read morethere is a marker here to commemorate the spot. The marker reads, "John Deere was born February, 7th, 1804 the third son of William Rinold Deere and Sarah Yates Deere. It is presumed that Sarah gave birth to John at home; over William Deere's Rutland tailor shop located on the east side of Main St. across from the park. In 1805, the family moved to Middlebury, Vermont where at the age of 17, he learned the blacksmith trade as an apprentice. When hard times hit the region in the 1830s, Deere decided to leave his wife and family temporarily and venture west. In 1836 Deere moved to Grand Detour, Illinois where, in 1837 he built the world's first steel moldboard plow - "The Plow that Tamed The West"." The marker was erected in 2012 by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The sign is in near mint condition. There is parking nearby at a convenience store. [Review 18466 overall - 65 in Vermont - 1988 of 2022.]

Located alongside US-7 just north of Pittsford, this marker points out some of the early industrial…read morehistory of the town that is no longer. There is parking nearby so that you can read the sign. On the front, "In 1791, Israel Keith built an iron blast furnace two miles east of here, adjacent to what is now Furnace Brook. Materials for the smelting process included iron ore, manganese, and charcoal from Chittenden, with limestone flux from Pittsford. In 1826, Simeon Granger & Sons purchased the furnace from Keith's successor, Nathan Gibbs. The furnace was rebuilt after a fire and in 1829, the Grangers erected a foundry nearby. Worker housing, a company store, school, and the Granger family's brick house surrounded the foundry to form the village of Grangerville." And on the rear, "At its peak, the Granger foundry produced 300 tons of cast iron stoves a year for kitchens, laundries, parlors, and bedrooms, which were shipped across the eastern seaboard. They also produced kettles, griddles, basins, flatirons, and door hardware. Later owners included C. & E.L. Granger; Granger, Hodges & Co.; Pittsford Iron Co.; Vermont Iron Co.; and Jeremiah Pritchard. Under Pritchard, sixty men were employed at the furnace, foundry, mines and charcoal kilns. As local resources were depleted, iron ore from eastern New York was shipped by rail to Pittsford. In 1882, operations ceased and Vermont's last operating iron furnace closed. Several stoves are in the collection of the Pittsford Historical Society Museum." The marker was erected in 2016 by the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation. [Review 18482 overall - 81 in Vermont - 2004 of 2022.]

Amazing place, having been the home of our 30th President, the place where he was born, established…read morehis business, the place where he took the Oath of Office, and the place where he and several generations of his family have found their resting place. Perhaps it is a view of a time when our people looked at the Presidency with respect. And with the incumbent of the Oval Office viewing his office as a Public service and not as a personal source of enrichment at the expense of our people. No gilded bathrooms, no creepy ballrooms, no disrespect to our nation. Coolidge was perhaps not our greatest president but very much a a part of our history The estate is more a village than a presidential residence, considering the Coolidge family both lived and worked in the hamlet. Excellent and friendly visitor center.

I had to come out of my way to get here, and yes it is out of the way. It's amazing that a 20th…read morecentury president came out of such a humble place. On Google maps, I saw it was a small town, but basically the entire town is Calvin Coolidge Town. Yes it's only like 8 buildings and the church functions on its own and the cheese shop rents, but still. As a presidential house connoisseur, this is really a top experience because of the extent of the buildings and the authenticity and preservation of the objects. And unlike any other presidential house, this also doubles as the site a president was sworn into office. There is a thorough exhibit hall where you buy tickets, watch a movie, and see all about Coolidge's presidency with some interesting artifacts and interactive audio elements. They also have the lamp which lit the inauguration in here, and it's a pretty sweet lamp. The video introduction to Coolidge was really engaging and well-made, and one of the top videos I've seen at a historic site as well. Tours start at the general store (which is also cool, take a look before), go through the 2 barns that house antique cars and farming equipment, next to his birth house, to across the street to his later boyhood home. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and really painted Coolidge as a hard worker from a young age and how his dad, a hater of the telephone, was a public notary and personally swore him in at 2:47 am one fateful night. Coolidge should get more attention. Painting his story from the death of his mother to the death of his sister, to the death of his son really painted a picture of a figure outside of politics, and having all the buildings as they were at the time, on a quiet forested part of Vermont, was a really interesting way to spend the day. Definitely a 5/5 and worth a few hours on site. Keep cool and keep Coolidge.

I've had a love affair with the State of Vermont since the 1980's when I lived in New England for a…read morefew years. Aside from the magnificent beauty of the entire state, is has the covered bridges, which are so much fun to track down and photograph. I left New England in 1985 and didn't return till 2025 but took myself (and my husband) back to VT, and yes, went covered bridge hunting. What amazed me is that even WITH the added technology of GPS, I still had trouble finding some of the bridges. GPS only works when we have cell service, and many places still do NOT... duh. Anyway, we easily found the Taftsville Bridge, and it did not disappoint. It was one of the larger bridges we rode over, and it definitely was the oldest one that we saw, having been built in 1836. It's one of the oldest in the entire country, too !

This beautiful covered bridge is hard to miss when passing by. The bridge is operational with one…read moretraveling lane at a time. This landmark makes a perfect spot for pictures. Built in 1836, covering the Ottauquechee River, the Taftsville Covered Bridge is a 189ft multiple kingpost truss bridge with multiple support arches.

While not so historic as most bridges we've seen, this bridge was only constructed in 1969, but it…read moreis still a very popular and photographable bridge. It crosses the Ottauquechee River and offers some very attractive views through the lattice wood design. I like the fact that a walkway off to one side was constructed to accommodate pedestrians, so that car traffic could safely enter the bridge tunnel.

Our recent New England fall foliage organized guided tour included a brief stop here…read more It's a working bridge so be aware of vehicles passing back and forth. There's a pedestrian walkway also. We walked across to the other side and back. The covered bridge is very rustic looking. Originally from the late 1800's and rebuilt in the 1960's. Nice photo opportunity.