Skip to main content

Travel New England - Woodstock, Vermont

Image
By
Woodstock is a charming town along US 4 in Central Vermont.  Less than an hour's drive from Lebanon, New Hampshire and Dartmouth College or the ski areas of Killington, the town is considered by some as "The Prettiest Small Town in America."  Woodstock is a blend of small shops, fine dining, inns, art galleries, rolling farmlands, and centuries old homesteads. 

The Woodstock 'Town Crier' Bulletin Board adds to the town's New England charm.
Woodstock's town square, known as "The Green",  is the centerpiece of the town.  From May through October, it is home to a weekly farmer's market.  Also, other events occur on The Green including an annual lobster dinner.  The Woodstock Village Green is also home to a New England legend of a vampire's heart being burned and ashes buried on the Green.  This and other legends throughout New England date to the New England Vampire Panic of the early 19th century.

Adding to its idealistic New England setting, Woodstock is also home to a covered bridge.  The Middle Covered Bridge which carries Mountain Avenue over the Ottaquechee River was built in 1969.  This rare "modern" town lattice covered bridge actually replaced an iron bridge which had stood since 1877.  The Middle Bridge has been a survivor of two damaging events.  The first event occurred in 1974 when arsonists set the bridge ablaze.  The damage took three years and a cost of $55,000 to repair.  More recently, the rains of Hurricane Irene damaged the Middle and other nearby bridges.


 One of the interesting features of the Middle Bridge is the incorporated covered sidewalk that allows for spectacular views of the Ottaquechee River.  In addition, something I found interesting is that both portals of the bridge are in different stains.  The north portal is painted white; while the south portal consists of a more natural stain.


The town of around 3,000 people dates back to prior to the Revolutionary War.  Chartered in 1761, Woodstock has transitioned from rural farming community to an early manufacturing town to the  tourist destination that it is today.  

 Further Reading:
Getting There:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. 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 Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more