Cumulative Official Towns | Unofficial Towns |
60 | 28 |
The latest VT 251 foray explored a lot of farmland in northern Vermont, much of it hugging the Canadian Border. Five official towns (one with its own independent telecom provider!), three unofficial towns, three covered bridges, a delicious maple-glazed doughnut, a walk through some fields, and a very difficult drive over a mountain on a dirt road during mud season (oof!) comprised this full day in Franklin County, VT.
MORSE'S LINE
Morse's Line, VT is an unincorporated community near Franklin, VT. It shows up on my map, but with the exception of the very laid back border crossing and a few farms, there's not much to see.
FRANKLIN
Franklin, VT is a small agrarian town (pop. 1,363 in 2020) after which its county was named. It's got nice views, lots of farms (with honor system farm stands), a general store with really excellent baked goods (get there early!) and an impressive library. It also has a functional telephone booth and one of the four remaining independent phone companies in the state! It is home to Lake Carmi, which is a popular recreation and camping destination in summer.
BERKSHIRE
Berkshire, VT is quite small (pop. 1,547 in 2020) and doesn't have much to offer visitors. Like Franklin, it is a farming community and the one gift store/ "bistro" never got the permit for the bistro, so it's really just a gift and sweets shop (but VERY cute and with some really nice artwork for sale)! This blog post's cover photo of the beautiful barn was taken in East Berkshire, which is where the referenced (Barn Owl) Bistro is located, thus making it countable (as an unofficial town).
SHELDON
Sheldon, VT sits on the banks of the Missisquoi River in Franklin County. In its heyday, there were 11 hotels located in Sheldon Springs (an unofficial town with no hotels any more) as well as a pump mill due to the river offering much in the way of recreation and hydro power. Today, there are areas along the river (below the dam) for canoes and kayaks to enjoy the rapids. The town of Sheldon is named after a revolutionary war colonel who, under General George Washington's orders, set up a regiment in the town. The town historical society is undergoing renovation but houses the original town post office and town hall. The MRVT (Missisquoi Valley Rail-Trail), a lovely path which hugs the river, is just over 26 miles long and has an entrance in town, making for some excellent walking and biking.
BAKERSFIELD
Bakersfield, VT is another small town (pop. 1,273 in 2020) which is the hometown to Peter Brigham (of Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, MA), who established the now-defunct Brigham Academy in town (which later became the public high school -- which it is no longer). The town has a lovely green with historical buildings and a canon, as well as the ubiquitous memorial to fallen soldiers. It also has one of the most adorable post offices in the State that I have seen.
WATERVILLE
Waterville, VT is the tiniest of the towns in this 251 foray with only 686 residents (as of 2020). While there is some renovation taking place, there really isn't much to see other than three covered bridges and a very small town green, church, and town hall (adjacent to the town green, and looks like it used to be a church). The three covered bridges are: Jayne's (Kissing) Covered Bridge, Church Street Covered Bridge, and Montgomery Covered Bridge. In case you are interested, "kissing bridges" are thus-named because they provided some bit of privacy, thereby allowing some kissing without public ridicule, during horse and buggy days.
Stay tuned, more to come!
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