Cumulative Official Town Count | Unofficial Town Count |
135 | 29 |
There are several bucolic towns just outside of Rutland, VT either in or in the foothills of the Green Mountains, and this VT 251 edition brings you to these four of them: PITTSFORD, CHITTENDEN, MENDON, & PROCTOR. They all offer stunning scenery with varying degrees of commerce, and represent destinations for maple, marble, and covered bridges.
PITTSFORD
Pittsford, VT is a lovely farming town of almost 3,000 with views to die for in every direction. There are four and a half covered bridges (the half is for a decorative bridge), the New England Maple Museum (where the half covered bridge is located), and one of the most charming libraries I've seen yet. The town's nickname is "Vermont's Sunshine Village" because a state survey found it to have more sun than any other in Vermont. (It was sunny the day I visited in July 2024...) During pre-revolutionary times, Pittsford was known as a frontier town and then was home to two picket forts during the American Revolution. (FYI, according to Wikipedia, "a picket is a soldier, or small unit of soldiers, placed on a defensive line forward of a friendly position to provide timely warning and screening against an enemy advance." Ah, the things you learn here!) A current room in the Maclure Library was at one time a temporary town clerk's office (and therefore had a safe). When they couldn't get the safe out when it came time to move it to the permanent town clerk's office, it became a decorative aspect of the library.
CHITTENDEN
Chittenden, VT is a small town (pop. 1,237 in 2020) located in the Green Mountains, which is an ideal spot for remote living and outdoor pursuits like hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and I'd assume hunting. To take advantage of those hobbies, there are a couple of inns to stay at (Mountain Top Inn (luxury, on a lake) and Fox Creek Inn (country Inn/ B&B)), the Chittenden Reservoir, and hiking trails galore. For maple products and local beef, check out Baird Farm. This is small-town, rural Vermont: dirt roads, a post office attached to a private house (or so it seemed), the library located in the school, and one (not so charming or upscale) country store. If you're looking for a break from the outside world, head to this area -- it's remote but not far from (Vermont) "civilization."
MENDON
Mendon, VT is a small town (of 1,149 in 2020) in the Green Mountains which straddles the east-west Vermont byway that is Route 4 and according to the billboard at the town offices, is on its third (and final!) town name. There's no town center, but there's plenty of commerce as the route is very well-traveled and connects Killington Resort to both Rutland (on the west side of the state) and Woodstock (on the east side of the state). As a skier and (flatland) Vermonter, I have passed through Mendon more times than I can recall, and there are two places which still exist that have been around for ages: Sugar & Spice (for pancakes and the like), and Mendon Valley Orchards (their pies are absolutely worth the calories and are still made using the recipe from my youth -- I checked). If you are a hiker, the popular Bucklin Trail is accessed from Mendon (and connects to trails up Killington and Pico peaks, as well as the Appalachian/ Long Trail). The town may not be charming, but it gets traffic from folks going to the places and things they want.
PROCTOR
Proctor, VT is a beautiful valley town (of less than 2,000) located between the Green Mountains (to the east) and the Taconic Range (to the West, in New York), along the Otter Creek. The views are therefore gorgeous no matter where you look. But what the town is known for is its marble. It is, as the welcome sign communicates, home to the Vermont Marble Company, which was named and started by (Senator) Redfield Proctor and which became the largest marble company in the world (the town of Sutherland Falls was renamed Proctor after the Senator as a result of the company's importance). The marble from this area supplied much of the marble used in many of the iconic government buildings and monuments in Washington, DC. The company and most of the local quarries closed in the 1980's and the Marble Company was turned into the Vermont Marble Museum (which is sadly currently closed due to ownership issues). The town is also home to the (marble) Fletcher Proctor Memorial Bridge, Wilson Castle (run down, expensive, and disappointing), the lovely Proctor Free Library, and carriage trails.
Stay tuned for more adventures!
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