Vermont has a number of waterfalls. While none of them were super sensational, most were very nice. The next few pictures are of some of the ones we saw. Most were a succession of cascading falls. Big Falls, North Troy, VT.
Big Falls, North Troy, VT.
Moss Glenn Falls, Stowe, VT. By the way, Stowe is where the Trapp family from “The Sound Of Music” settled down after they escaped from Austria. It is a very quaint small town. We also heard that Mrs Trapp was not a Julie Andrews.
Moss Glenn Falls, Stowe, VT.
Ferrisburg Falls, Ferrisburg, VT.
Moss Glen Falls, Granville, VT (not to be confused with Moss Glen Falls in Stowe, VT)
In Graniteville, VT we had the opportunity to visit the Rock of Ages granite mine. As these pictures show it is quite an operation. The granite they mine is a light gray. They make a lot of grave markers, mausoleums, very large rollers to squeeze/press things, as well as granite for columns and buildings. One of their larger projects was providing the granite for Mao's tomb. If you don't pump the water out, the hole will fill up with ground water. That hole is hundreds of feet deep.
This is the main area where they are currently mining. It is deeper than the picture indicates, about 600 ft. The guide said that the granite vain is 10 miles deep and 30 miles long. They are not worried about running out of granite to mine.
Over time they have used various techniques to cut blocks of granite. Currently, they drill holes along the sides and then put fuse cord into every other hole and ignite it. Then they drill holes underneath the block and repeat the process.
When they are done cutting free the large block, they have to cut it into smaller pieces so they can lift it out of the pit. The lifting is done by the crane. You can see some of the block they have lifted out on the other side of the crane.
The crane also is used to raise and lower equipment and workers into the pit.
Can you guess what the yellow box is for?
It's the elevator!
How would you like to travel to and from work in one of these? Its either this or the stairs.
This is the part of the factory where they make grave stones. This is one of the major uses of the granite they mine.
They cover the granite with rubber, cut out the pattern from the rubber, and then sand blast it. After the grave stone is carved, they polish the surface.
I bet you thought “Old Ironsides” was a sailing ship! Well, it appears it was also the first American steam locomotive made by Baldwin. We found this and a lot of other really neat things, as you will get a sample of, at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.
Along with “Old Ironsides” were a 4-4-0 steam locomotive, a complete old railroad station with contents, and this old rail car from the golden age of rail travel. Shelburne Museum
Old rail car from the golden age of rail travel. Shelburne Museum
It is not to strange to finding old railroad equipment in a Museum, but to find the last steamboat made for Lake Champlain several miles inland is another thing. They actually brought the Ticonderoga up on land and then transported it over land on special laid railroad tracks.
Lake Champlain was part of the transportation route from Boston to Montreal. At first they used sail to transport people and material. Later, steamboats took over the job since they were more dependable and quicker. Eventually railroads and roads were built and replaced the steamboats.
For you engineer types, this is a model of the propulsion system of the Ticonderoga. Steam from the coal furnace drives a vertical piston which pushes up on the transom which drives the side water wheels. All the steamboats on Lake Champlain and I suspect in the NE are side wheel steamboats rather than the stern paddle wheels we are familiar with on the Mississippi River.
Controls used to control the speed and direction of the waterwheels.
On the wall is a picture that contains the list of signals used to communicate the direction and speed from the bridge to the control room in the last picture. They use a combination of the 2 bells (the large one and the small one). They can also use the voice tubes.
The trip typically was a day trip (morning to evening), but there were a few staterooms one could rent. This is the most expensive room on the boat.
As you can see in the next few pictures, the Ticonderoga was quite plush for passengers. Dining room.
Ticonderoga passenger deck.
Ticonderoga outside passenger deck.
Amongst the many buildings, was a general store. Inside was a barber shop.
There is also a pharmacy. As you can see, it is quite large and very well stocked.
What the pharmacy didn't have stocked, they made in the back room.
Room where they made medicine.
What is a general store without a pot bellied stove.
The general store.
The part of the general store that Janet liked most.
For those who like old tools, the next 4 pictures are for you. They had a building with old tools. These are just a few of them.
Tools at Shelburne Museum.
While we were there, they were having a special day for dogs and the people they take for walks. They had all kinds of contests from costumes to Frisbee throwing/catching. We watched some of the Frisbee throwing/catching. These dogs were really good! I could not believe how high they jumped to catch the Frisbees.
During the Revolutionary War, England put together a plan to the split the rebel forces by a 3 prong attack: one force up the Hudson River, one force driving from Montreal, and one force down Lake Champlain all meeting up at Albany. The Montreal force was defeated on the way. The Hudson River likewise failed. The major force coming down Lake Champlain was victorious, but because of the heroic efforts and brilliant command of Benedict Arnold, they were slowed down and unable to continue towards Albany before the winter. Benedict Arnold used his own funds to built a fleet of gun boats like this and used them in the battle on Lake Champlain
During the first part of the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold was actually one of the best field commanders of the Revolutionary War. He was transferred to Boston and put in charge of defending Boston which he wasn't suited for, nor wanted. After he repeatedly was turned down for a field position, was repeatedly denied advancement, was deigned repayment for his personal funds used to build the gun boats used to fight the battle on Lake Champlain, and was convinced that America was going to lose the war if it continued doing what they were doing, he decided to switch sides. He figured he might as well switch to the side that winning and would appreciate his abilities. Fortunately he was found out but escaped an hour before they came to collect him.
Gun boats used in the battle of Lake Champlain, NY.
The fellow who built Wilson Castle married a very rich English lady and brought her back to Proctor, VT, and built this beautiful building. It has several notable features so I thought I would show you a few pictures of it. It cost about $1.5 million in 1867 dollars to build. The English lady didn't like the VT weather, divorced him, and went back to England 3 yrs later. He couldn't keep it up and lost it to the city to back taxes. Along came Wilson and bought it for $16,000 or $54,000 (can't remember which). He was apparently quite a character and loved to tell stories which often were a stretch of the imagination.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Parlor.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Dining room. One of 2 Tiffany lamps.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Dining room setting.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Stained glass windows shipped from Europe. These windows were all one piece which meant that it had to have been very difficult to ship them and that the window frame had to built around them. Oh, did I mention that the glass was 1/4” to 1” thick?
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Master bedroom. While it is difficult to see here, all the wood work in this room are out of curly maple. Trust me, there is a lot of solid curly maple in this room: 3 door frames and doors, fireplace, baseboards, 6 very large windows (5 of which were in one of the round turrets), and other trim.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Den with the other Tiffany lamp. There used to be a pool table under the lamp, but it was moved (solid one piece slate top and all) upstairs into the hallway. Yes, there was plenty of room to play pool in the hallway.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Fireplace in the parlor. What makes it exceptional are two things. Notice the stained glass window above the fireplace. It is in the middle, so the chimney had to be built around it.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. Close up of the stained glass window over the chimney.
Wilson Castle, Proctor, VT. I bet you thought I forgot to tell you what the 2nd thing was that was special about this stained glass window. The stained glass is actually an oil painting on glass covered by another piece of glass, but that is not the really special thing. Notice the little round things that surround the painting? They are opals! Yes, opals. If you look carefully, you can see some of the color that opals are known for. Sorry for the lack of clarity in the photos, but I couldn't get close enough to get really good picture.
Imagine coming up this road after dark on a cloudy night looking for a camping site.
When all you see is Tent Sites signs. You stop at a few side roads and use that spot light you never thought you would use to find out that you cannot pull in there either.
After about a mile of climbing this steep narrow road, you come to this parking lot used for people who want to picnic or go for a hike. What do you do? You level you RV and stay the night.
Do you worry about the sign when you wake up in the morning? Nope. You tell the park ranger what you did and find out that is where he would have put you anyway. It turns out it was state forest campground, not a state park campground.
One of the reasons we chose the above campground was that it was just a couple of miles from where Calvin Coolidge (30th President) grew up and lived. He was born in the unpainted building attached to the back of the general store. His father owned the general store and later moved across the street to another larger home when he could afford it. His father also eventually built a large barn and a cheese factory which made very good, very expensive cheese.
The modern kitchen in Calvin's birth home.
Calvin Coolidge's bedroom.
Sorry for the bad exposure, but I thought this interesting. It is a rocking bench. It has a place for the mother and her infant. She could knit or do other chores and rock while the baby was close at hand.
This is the house Calvin Coolidge's parents moved to. Notice it was type of that time. The house connected to the wood shed connected to the garage/barn. One generally wanted to avoid going outside during the winter. This house was he cats meow. The 2 holer (toilet) was attached off the woodshed, so you didn't have to go outside.
Vice President Coolidge was vacationing at the family home when word arrived of the death of President Warren Harding. A telephone call placed from the general store to Washington, D.C. confirmed that Colonel John Coolidge, as a notary public, had sufficient authority to administer the Presidential Oath of Office. Thus, it has here in the family sitting room that Colonel John swore his son in as our nation's 30th President. The event, unique in American history occurred on August 2, 1923 at 2:47 A.M. Calvin Coolidge later wrote in his autobiography: “It seemed a simple and natural thing to do at the time, but I can now realize something of the dramatic force of the event.” The ceremony took place around the table in the center of the room. The kerosene lamp, Coolidge family bible, and pearl-handled pen are arrange as they were in 1923.
Bennington, VT, is a delightful little town with a lot of history. One of the little extras are the decorated moose. All throughout the city there moose that have been decorated by the local businesses and organizations. Some make you smile while others make you marvel at their artistic efforts. Yachty (our RV) liked it so much that she decided to have one of her master brake cylinders fixed. Two days and many dollars later we were on the road again. At least the camping at the garage was free.
This church is called the “Old First Church” in Bennington, VT, It is the first church in VT that was dedicated to the separation of church and state. It is an old Anglican Church.
Ever wonder what an Anglican Church looks like inside? I suspect they are a little different today, and I don't think that the pulpits are quite as high.
The seating is quite unique. This was back when a family owned/sat in their own pew. But you say, half the people have to sit with their backs to the preacher. It doesn't seem to be a very good arrangement. But if you think about it, it does kind of make sense. Remember the entire family attended church and families were quite large back then. How many kids did you know actually pay attention to what the preacher is saying? This way the mother and father sat facing the preacher and the kids. Need I say more. Not such a bad arrangement after all.
Of course, VT had lots of covered bridges. This is one of three in Bennington.
The covered bridges in Bennington were different from a lot of the other covered bridges in the way they were built. The side walls became part of the superstructure of the bridge and as a result the size of the wood in the superstructure could be standard large planks instead of large beams. This reduced the cost of the construction considerably. Notice the use of wood pegs instead of steel bolts.
