Official Town Count | Unofficial Town Count |
183 | 42 |
The towns of FERRISBURGH, WALTHAM, NEW HAVEN, WEYBRIDGE, BRIDPORT, AND ADDISON are small towns rife with farmland and rural vistas. Come along as I bring you to these bucolic towns in Addison County on this VT 251 foray.
FERRISBURGH
Ferrisburgh, VT is the largest town (at 2,646 in 2020) in this foray. My favorite place to visit there is the Rokeby Museum, which is well worth a visit for anyone interested in learning about the underground railroad or abolitionism. (Keep in mind that you cannot enter most of the historic buildings without taking a tour, and also that the museum is open seasonally -- so be sure to check before heading over.) There is also gourmet shop (Gilfeather's, which is closed more often than its open as I drive by) and two state parks, both located in bays along Lake Champlain which offer relaxing places to swim/ have a picnic: Kingsland Bay and Button Bay.
WALTHAM
Waltham, VT is a tiny town of 446 (in 2020) without any town signage (except on the building that houses the town hall/ town offices, which used to be a school). The views are expansive and of farmland. "“The people who live in Waltham know where it is. For the rest it is not necessary. This is a small, but special place.” ... Small indeed, occupying only nine square miles, but unique and rooted in its creation in 1791 and the historic events of the county." (source: town website) I can't say it's worth a visit (and it was hard to find), but it is lovely.
NEW HAVEN (& BROOKSVILLE)
New Haven, VT is a quiet small town (pop. was 1,683 in 2020) comprised mostly of farm land and fields. There is a town green with a country store, as well as a cemetery that is a tourist destination of a sort because Timothy Clark Smith had a window built into his plot just in case he was buried alive. (Even in winter, pretty early in the morning, there had already been others who had visited the grave before we did!) The other site of interest (to me) was the Lampson School, which was built in 1868, and is a prominent example of Italianate architecture. It was used as a public school until 1940, and then converted to residential use. Brooksville is one of the villages within New Haven, and while it is tiny, it is lovely.
WEYBRIDGE
Weybridge, VT is a really small (pop. 814 in 2020) and lovely town with two monuments! It is also where you can find the Morgan Horse Farm, which is worth a visit if you are interested in horses and/or history. The Morgan horse is the state animal of Vermont, and the farm is the oldest Morgan horse breeding herd in the world. There's an odd Settler's Monument in the middle of a field with a mowed pathway to it; click here for the story behind it. And, Weybridge also happens to be where one of my favorite dairy farms is located -- Monument Farms; their milk and especially chocolate milk, is delicious (and available in many stores in VT). Maybe they chose the name because of the monuments??
BRIDPORT
Bridport, VT is the only Bridport you'll find in the US. This small town (pop. of 1,225 in 2020) offers yet more farmland and an old one room school house (seen in the primary picture for this blog post), as well as commuter parking/ park and ride. (Still trying to figure out where the commuters were coming from or commuting to!)
ADDISON (& WEST ADDISON)
Addison, VT, is another small town (pop. 1,365 in 2020) in the heart of the Champlain Valley. The rural town is known for its agriculture and beautiful views of the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain. The town is home to Snake Mountain (1,287 ft in elevation), a popular hiking destination and while it has some rundown buildings, its bucolic farmland more than makes up for it. West Addison (not a real town) has an historic site overlooking Lake Champlain (Chimney Point) and is where the Vermont side of the Champlain Bridge is, connecting VT and NY.
And that concludes this week's VT 251 foray. You know there's more coming, so check back soon!