Good Things Come in Small Packages: Vermont

Tucked between New York and New Hampshire in New England is the small state of Vermont. Only five American states are smaller in physical size. Vermont is a rural area consisting of small cities, towns and villages. Three Vermont villages, Victory, Granby and Jamaica were without electricity until 1964. There may be some truth to the commonly held belief that in early part of the 20th century there were more cows than people in Vermont.

Vermont’s nickname, The Green Mountain State, comes from the chain of mountains running down the center of the state. Mount Mansfield, at 4,395 feet, is the highest peak.

Constructed by the French in 1666, Fort Saint Anne provided protection from the Mohawks. This fort was the first white settlement in the territory. Jesuit priests erected a chapel on the site and held the first Catholic masses in Vermont. The site is now Saint Anne’s Shrine and thousands of tourists visit between May and September. Priests from the Society of Saint Edmunds have maintained the grounds for more than a century. The area is a beautiful, peaceful retreat located in the Lake Champlain Islands.

Like Texas and California, Vermont was once an independent republic. Vermont’s original constitution created public schools, abolished slavery and gave every male resident the right to vote. Vermont was sovereign for 14 years before becoming the first state to join the union after the original 13 colonies.

Vermont is rich in natural resources and has a well-educated work force. Vermont’s dairy industry is the largest in New England. The Jefferson Memorial and the Supreme Court buildings in Washington, D.C. contain granite from Vermont’s stone quarries. The world is a sweeter place because of the gallons of maple syrup produced in the spring sugaring season. Many tourists come for foliage season during September and October. Winter skiing and snowboarding at Stowe and Killington also draw natives and visitors to the mountains.

Ben and Jerry’s began making ice cream in a defunct gas station on the corner of Pine Street and College Avenue in Burlington. Burlington is the largest city in the state. Today, you can tour Ben and Jerry’s state-of-the-art facility located in Waterbury, halfway between Burlington and Montpelier. Montpelier is the state capital.

Institutions of higher learning include The University of Vermont, The Vermont College of Medicine, St. Michael’s College, Bennington College, Middlebury College and Vermont Technical College.

Ten miles from Burlington International Airport, the Shelburne Museum beckons. It is one of the nation’s most unconventional museums. Its 39 separate buildings contain an eclectic assortment of art and memorabilia from America’s history. Paintings by Grandma Moses and Andrew Wyeth are on display along with exhibits featuring dolls and handmade quilts. The museum has a working blacksmith shop and a complete miniature circus. A vertical beam side-wheel steamer, the Ticonderoga, a round barn and a covered bridge have been restored and are popular attractions.

Vermont is one of the greenest states in the nation. Vermont law banned roadway billboards in 1968. In July, 1973 one of the country’s first Bottle Bill Laws went into effect. Bottle bills place a minimum refundable deposit on containers to encourage the recycling or reuse of the containers. Today, Vermont is in the forefront of the environmental movement.