Ghost Town
Guide to the Ghost Towns of
“The
Green Mountain State”
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Treasures Ghost Town USA Column Index for Vermont |
In 1791, the State of
Vermont became the 1st of the “non-13 Colonies” to join the
Union. As the 14th state,
that gives it a unique part in our nation’s history. The territory that
eventually became Vermont was originally settled in the 1600s by French and
English settlers, and was a part of New York.
During the French & Indian, Revolutionary
and 1812 wars, Vermont was very active in the conflicts. A large number of forts and other military
posts were established in Vermont, and after the various conflicts ended,
were not longer needed. Agriculture, iron furnaces, railroad expansion
and logging also became big industries, and a number of communities based on
those economies popped up around the state.
Mining was not a major industry, but enough mines did develop that a
few mining camps and mining towns grew up and faded away as the mines pinched
out. Then
there are the resorts and spas, which grew up around mineral springs. Vermont
had well over 100 such locations, with nearly a third of them with hotels or
bathhouses where folks could stay for a time while they “partook of the
waters.” Most of these locations are
now abandoned, and mostly forgotten. Over Vermont’s 300+ year history of settlement,
many other towns grew up and died, adding many interesting and unique
locations to the growing roster of ghosts that Ghost Town USA is out to
discover and share. If you know of any ghost towns in the Green
Mountain State that are not listed here, or know the current status of towns
listed with little information, please contact us… PLEASE NOTE: Where photos are
indicated thusly (PHOTO!),
please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page. More photos will be added over time. |
AVERY'S GORE |
Essex
Co. |
This community was in
the northeast part of state, near Island Pond. It was disenfranchised in 1963. |
CALEDONIA SPRING HOUSE |
Caledonia
Co. |
The exact location of
this old Caledonia County resort is not determined. |
CHIMNEY POINT TAVERN |
Addison
Co. |
Jacobus de Warm of
Albany, New York, established a short-lived outpost here in 1690. In 1730 the French rebuilt it, renaming it
Fort de Pieux. By 1759 it was
deserted. 250 years later, only cellar holes and rubble are said to
remain. Also located here is the
Chimney Point Tavern, an 18th Century tavern that today acts as the
interpretive center for the site. It
is located just off SH 17, eight miles southwest of Addison, at the south end
of Lake Champlain, where the Champlain Bridge crosses to New York |
FORT STE. ANNE |
Grand
Co. |
This old French fort was
located on West Shore Road, three miles north of the village of Isle la
Motte, on Isle La Motte (island), in the northwest corner of Lake
Champlain. It was built in 1666 for
protection against the Mohawk Indians. A small settlement grew up around the fort,
and in 1670 the fort and town were burned by the Mohawks. |
Bennington
Co. |
All that remains of this
old agricultural/charcoal town on the Appalachian Trail, ten AIR miles
northeast of Bennington, are cellar holes and rubble. By the early 1930s it
was abandoned. In 1937 the town was
officially declared “unorganized.” See our GLASTENBURY
page for additional details. |
|
KEENES CORNER |
Unknown
Co. |
Exact location not
determined. |
MOSQUITOVILLE |
Caledonia
Co. |
This old farming community
is located in a marshy area south of Harvey Lake, two miles south of West
Barnet, about 15 miles southwest of St. Johnsbury, east of Montpelier. All that remains is overgrown cellar holes
and rubble. |
NORTH POMFRET |
Windsor
Co. |
In 1990, 50
people lived in this class D
small town located west of I-89, about ten miles northwest of the
junction I-89/91. |
PLYMOUTH FIVE CORNERS |
Windsor
Co. |
Located near Plymouth,
this little agricultural village was the focus of Vermont's 1850s era gold
rush. In 1855, a returning California
gold miner panned for and found gold in Reading Pound Brook. It wasn't a lot, and despite his secrecy,
Reading Pound, Broad and Buffalo brooks were overrun with people looking for
quick riches. The small rush around
Plymouth Five Corners only lasted four years.
But what years they were. The
tiny community grew, had a gold mill and crusher as well as a couple hotels,
and a wandering butcher. By 1860 the
nation's focus shifted to the increased tensions between the North and South,
and Vermont gold was forgotten. By
1884 it was just “a hamlet located in the eastern part of town” (Town of
Plymouth). Little remains to mark the area where the village with two hotels
once flourished. |
PLYMOUTH UNION |
Windsor
Co. |
In 1884, this was
considered a post village, and consisted of two chair stretcher (what are
these?) factories (George M. Whitney owned one, Sanderson & Sumner owned
the other), a Methodist church, two hotels, mechanic shops, three stores, the
Vermont Liberal Institute (school?) and about 100 people. It is now a rural community located along
the Black River in the western part of the Town of Plymouth. “This web site explains
what chair stretchers are. I don't know why there would be a factory that
makes only stretchers, not the rest of the chair: http://emporiumindonesia.com/Woodworking-Project-Plans/designing/018-chair-stretchers.htm Thanks to Susan
Galbraith for this information.
September 14, 2010 |
POMFRET |
Windsor
Co. |
About seven miles
north of Woodstock. In 1990 the
population was 50 |
RICKER BASIN |
Washington
Co. |
This old milling
community was first established in 1783.
About all that remains are the foundations and cellar holes of a town
that once had several homes, a church, school and three gristmills. Most of the buildings that survived into the
1960s were torn down at that time. The
former site is located in a high basin near Waterbury Reservoir in Little
River State Park. |
ROOKS MINE (AKA
Fox Mine) |
Windsor
Co. |
Located at Camp
Plymouth in the Okemo Valley. In 1880 a group of miners
returned to the Plymouth Five Corners area and traced placer gold in Buffalo
Creek to its source in a vein high on the slope above the creek. Two years later, the Rooks Mining Company
was organized and the mine was in operation.
By 1884 the Rooks Mine was big news in the area, as it was producing
$50/ton ore. But all good things must
end, and in 1887 the Rooks mine was bankrupt, and the gold rush was
over. In its later years the mine
superintendent was Henry Fox, who lived there until 1919. |
ROXBURY |
Washington
Co.? |
“Roxbury
VT in the early 1800s was located on top of Cram Hill Rd. The only way to get there is on an old mail
route. There are many old buildings
and graveyards in the woods. Also on the
other side of town, behind the town office and about a half-mile down the
railroad tracks, there is a pathway built through the middle of a large pond
leading over the mountain to the Roxbury Marble Quarries.” Contributed
by Dave (no last name shown on E-mail), October 15, 2005 “Hello,
just to let you know I grew up and live in Roxbury VT. Although it’s not a big place, we aren't a
ghost town. We have country store (how quaint) a school, and a few other
businesses.” Contributed
by Mark Lester, December 21, 2008 I
found a Roxbury in Washington Co., with a 2000 population of 300. Don’t know if it’s the same place, but if
it is, Roxbury is NO ghost town, but it still is a small community. Since I lost Dave’s E-mail address, I
couldn’t ask. SORRY Dave! This is probably the same place that Mark mentions. (GBS) |
SOMERSET |
Windham
Co. |
Two folks lived here
in 1990 and five in 2000. This old, abandoned farming community is nothing
but memories and overgrown cellar holes and is located south of Somerset
Reservoir, 12 miles northwest of Wilmington. |
TYSON (AKA - Tyson Furnace) |
Windsor
Co. |
Also known as Tyson
Furnace, this rural community is located on SH 100, at the south end of Echo Lake,
five miles south-southeast of Plymouth, six miles north of Ludlow, at the
southern end of the Town of Plymouth.
It is also the home for the still-operating, 1840 Echo Lake Inn. Nearby Buffalo Brook is also the site of
some MINOR glacial placer gold deposits. In 1884 it had
blacksmith (George W. Merrill), Addison Webster’s boarding house, Alonzo F.
Hubbard & C. H. Scott’s cheese factory, A. F. Hubbard’s
saw/grist/chair-stock mill, Amherst A. Sumner’’s grist/sawmill, harness maker
(Simeon H. King), Tyson House hotel, two physician (Dr. Charles A. Scott, Dr.
Henry Stickney), post office (John W. Stickney – Postmaster), public hall,
John P. Aylward’s sawmill, schoolhouse, A. F. Hubbard & Willis P.
Bowman’s store (dealing in boots, crockery, dry
goods, groceries, hardware, shoes, stoves, tinware, etc.) and
75 people. “While
the iron forges have been all but erased by time, the town of Tyson is doing
quite well.” Contributed by Ted Lylis (May 26, 2006) It is listed by Rand McNally with a 2000 population of “RURAL.” (GBS) |
VERSHIRE COPPER MINE (AKA
– Ely Mine) |
Orange
Co. |
“I recently went to the site of this (1880s copper) mine, it was
listed in a Rockhounds Guide to Vermont.
It listed the name of the town as Copperfield. There are still stone walls and ruins from
the town and smelter. It is located on
SH 113A between West Fairlee and South Vershire.” Contributed by Ethan Morin (Apr 19, 2006) |
WHITINGHAM |
Windham
Co. |
On SH 100, at the
south end of the Harriman Reservoir, 11 miles south of Wilmington, in the
southwest corner of county. |
MORE
INFORMATION
There
are over 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the For
more information on the ghost towns of E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE: Due
to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer
open or respond to any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on
the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help
Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc. If you do send E-mail asking for
information, or sharing information, PLEASE
indicate the appropriate location AND
state name, or other topic on the “subject” line. Thank
you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail! |
IMPORTANT NOTE These
listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other
historical sites in VERMONT as shown above are for informational
purposes only, and should NOT
be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure
hunt at any of the listed sites. If
the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide
to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written
permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state
or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use.
Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same. ALWAYS respect the rights of the
landowners. When you are exploring the ghost towns of |
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FIRST POSTED: February 15, 2004
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