Skip to main content

Travel New England: Peru, Vermont


Peru is a sleepy village off of Route 11 in Southern Vermont.  Known best for Bromley Ski Resort, Peru is home to an annual old-style country fair complete with a pig roast.

Originally chartered as Bromley in 1761, the name was changed to Peru in 1803.  The reasoning behind the change was the hope that the exotic name - Peru in South America - would attract more settlers.  Though the town reached a population of over 500 residents through much of the 1800s, Peru is currently home to about 350 residents.

The original J.J. Hapgood General Store Structure.

One of Peru's links to its long history is the J.J. Hapgood General Store.  The store - which opened in 1827 - still operates today.  The store is now owned and operated by Juliette Britton.  Britton revived the old store in 2014 as a grocery full of local goods, continued the store's wood-fired pizza oven, and expanded the menu.  The old store was raised in 2013, and the Britton's rebuilt the store from the ground up.  Today, the store is a community gathering place, home to a guest house, and even had a visit from Paul McCartney.  

Peru Congregational Church - Doug Kerr, 2010

The Peru Town Fair began in 1978 as a large tag sale.  Since then, it has expanded to include numerous local arts and crafts, music and dancing, and a well-known pig roast.  The Fair is held annually on the last Saturday in September attracting hundreds of visitors to the Southwestern Vermont hamlet.

All photos taken by post author on August 20, 2005 - unless otherwise noted.

Sources & Links:

How To Get There:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system.  From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced.  The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway.  The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99.  The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California.  Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway.   This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown.  In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w