Bethel

"Diversity" has been Vermont's watchword, and it has saved the state from the worst of the depressions which more intensified industry has known. We have made almost everything in Vermont, from counterfeit money to clothes-pins and coffins...Charles Edward Crane


I've been driving past Bethel for years, turning left at this corner on my way from Interstate 89 to Rutland and points south. I always look up and appreciate this grain elevator planted so comfortably in the backyard of the town's main residential street--the scene reminds me of the WPA-style motifs of my father's paintings from his days as an artist and labor organizer during the Depression. Happily, rather than being an empty 1930's relic, this structure now houses the organic livestock grain supplier Green Mountain Feeds.


Last time I drove into Bethel, rather than take my usual turn south on Route 107 I headed up narrow Main Street to see what the town had to offer a visitor, especially in the way of food. The "Cockadoodle Pizza Cafe" beckoned me inside and didn't disappoint, offering a very respectable Greek slice (feta and spinach) served in an idiosyncratically pleasant interior, complete with wifi access and an interesting painting display on cheerful yellow walls (so much better than the depressing yellow arches I would have found in Rutland!)


Refreshed, I continued up Main Street in search of Bethel Mills Lumber, a very successful local enterprise with an interesting history. Founded during the Revolutionary War, Bethel Mills ground corn and sawed timber morning and night to meet the demands of new settlers. The business was operated by the same family for the next 100 years, then wiped out by the great flood of 1927, and rebuilt from the ground up as soon as the waters receded.

When the Great Depression hit, Bethel Mills struggled to keep its doors open. And then a twist of fate: a man with family in tow shows up looking for a job and is hired as a salesman; a week later the boss dies of a heart attack, and the new guy convinces the boss's widow to give him a chance managing the company rather than shut it down. She did, and together they rebuilt the business. And here's a typical Vermont happy ending to this entrepreneurial fairy tale: the new owner, unable to reach an agreement with the local power company over rates, decides to build his own hydroelectric plant on the river next to the mill. Though ridiculed by both his fellow townspeople and the utility, he perseveres and a few years later figures out how to produce enough electricity to both run the mill and sell back the extra juice to the power company--a satisfying arrangement that continues to this day.

Bethel facts and figures

Update on Ferrisburgh Update!

The Friends of Ferrisburgh are urging artists and other concerned Vermonters to come to the Zoning Board Public Hearing, Wednesday, Feb 4th at 7:00 PM in the Ferrisburgh Town Hall and voice our opinion--no Mcdonalds/truck stop/parking lot needed on this beautiful historic stretch of Route 7!

Randolph

We are now nearly a century away from the days of the first railroad boom in Vermont, and far, too, from the days when the Vermont poet wrote:
"Singing through the forests,
rattling over bridges,
Shooting under arches,
Rambling over ridges,
Whizzing through the mountains,
Buzzing o'er the vale,
Bless me! This is pleasant,
Riding on the rail." ...Charles Edward Crane

Randolph makes a good impression: comfortable neighborhoods and an active downtown that offers shopping, banking, eating and a library (what I think of as a total "park and carry basket for morning of errands and then books and coffee reward" experience). Randolph also feels like it's connected to the outside world, sitting in the path of major north-south roads (though the commerce once brought into town by Route 12 was drained by the nearby interstate) and an active Amtrak line. How exciting! The Vermonter runs between St. Albans and Washington, DC, with stops in Phillie and New York, and one member of my family makes that entire run frequently. Fortunately he's a stoic, because it's a very long trip over very old rails. Bring on the public works rail upgrade infrastructure program, President-elect Obama!


Randolph affords lovely views from quiet crossroads looking up the railroad tracks and down tree-lined residential streets. Its houses are detailed and varied, and I could easily spend a month standing on the sidewalk with my french easel, painting all those different facades, and the sunlight moving across Vistorian roofs and windows.


Many of these 19th century homes have carriage houses that sheltered the horse and wagon, or maybe provided a place to milk "Bossie" the family Jersey. These structures still serve a function protecting the family car, bikes and mower, and they also are a pleasure to look upon, elegant links to a living past.

Randolph facts and figures

Update on Ferrisburgh post 11/12/08

Richard Kerschner of Ferrrisburg contacted me this weekend to ask permission to reproduce my painting of the Ferrisburgh Grange/Town Hall for use on a brochure. He's a member of the Friends of Ferrisburgh for Responsible Growth, recently formed to urge residents to join in protest against a proposed large truck stop/convenience store/McDonalds on Route 7 within sight of the stretch of road in my painting. He said the grange hall in my image "will stand in wonderful contrast to photos of the 106 foot long gas pump pavilion and 72 foot long diesel pump pavilion proposed as part of this project. "


What's the problem with building this "convenience store"? Richard's group thinks that it will compete unfairly with existing businesses, that it's out of scale and not in character with the rest of the town (ie., it's ugly), that the food offered is terrible for locals, and most importantly I think, that the building will open the door for further commercial strip development along this section of Route 7 (see Route 7 south of Burlington for possible future!)

They'll be a Planning Commission site plan review on Wednesday, Feb 18th at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall, if you'd like to add your opinion on whether this proposed development will benefit the town of Ferrisburgh and Route 7 . And if you'd like to help Richard in his efforts against this very sprawling "convenience" and fast food spot, email him at rskersch@comcast.net.