Vermont Trivia & Tidbits
Looking for Vermont trivia? Try our list Vermont little know facts, tidbits and trivia.
—The memorial at the grave of Barre (pop. 9,291) racecar driver Joey Laquerre Jr. is a half-size replica of racecar No. 61. Laquerre, who died in a snowmobiling accident in 1991, is buried at Hope Cemetery.
first appeared: 5/4/2008
—Lifeskills Housing at Morningside Shelter in Brattleboro (pop. 12,005) recently was the recipient of a new clubhouse, built by 25 young girls known as Rosie’s Girls. The group, named for icon Rosie the Riveter representing women who worked in defense plants during World War II, constructed the clubhouse as part of a two-week summer camp.
first appeared: 3/9/2008
—The state bird is the hermit thrush, which was adopted officially in 1941. Some objected at the time because the bird doesn’t inhabit the state year-round; it migrates to the South in the winter.
first appeared: 2/24/2008
—Royall Tyler, a resident of Guilford (pop. 2,046) and later of Brattleboro (pop. 12,005), wrote The Contrast, a play first performed in 1787 by professional actors. He also served as chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1807 to 1813.
first appeared: 2/10/2008
—Born in Enosburg Falls (pop. 1,473) in 1886, baseball player Larry Gardner drove in the winning run in the Boston Red Sox’s 1912 World Series victory over the New York Giants. Gardner batted .289 with 1,931 hits from 1908 to 1924.
first appeared: 1/27/2008
—The Bennington (pop. 15,737) Battle Monument, commemorating the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War, is more than 306 feet tall. The cornerstone was laid in 1887, and the finished monument was dedicated in 1891. An elevator takes visitors to the observation floor for spectacular views of historic Bennington and three states.
first appeared: 1/13/2008
—Carl Christensen, the first men’s soccer All-American at the University of Vermont in Burlington (pop. 38,889) in 1976, was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. He subsequently played with the Dallas Tornado and San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League.
first appeared: 12/30/2007
—Cross-country skier Laura Wilson of Montpelier (pop. 8,035) earned four individual NCAA Nordic titles at the University of Vermont—two in 1990 and another two in 1991. She also was a participant in the 1994 and 1998 Olympic games.
first appeared: 12/2/2007
—The Rockingham (pop. 5,309) Meeting House, built between 1787 and 1801, is Vermont’s oldest public building in nearly its original condition and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
first appeared: 11/18/2007
—Born in Holland (pop. 588) in 1830, Horace Tabor moved in 1859 to Colorado where he later became wealthy by mining silver. Known as the “Silver King,” he held various political offices in Colorado, including lieutenant governor and senator, before losing his fortune in the panic of 1893.
first appeared: 11/4/2007
—On March 9, 1954, Sen. Ralph Flanders of Springfield (pop. 9,078) led an effort to censure Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin by proposing two resolutions—one removing McCarthy from his committee chairmanships and the other calling for his censure.
first appeared: 10/21/2007
—During the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Tad Coffin of Strafford (pop. 1,045) and his mare Bally Cor won the first American gold medal in the three-day individual equestrian event.
first appeared: 10/7/2007
—“Rokeby,” the home of the Quaker writer and folklorist Rowland E. Robinson (1833-1900), now is a museum filled with memorabilia of the blind author’s career. The Ferrisburg (pop. 2,657) home also is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.
first appeared: 9/30/2007
—Author of children’s books, Katherine Paterson of Barre (pop. 9,291) has won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal in 1978 and 1981 for Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved, respectively.
first appeared: 9/9/2007
—Joseph Battell, a Middlebury (pop. 8,183) resident and Morgan horse breeder, published the first volume of the Morgan Horse Register in 1894. The register contained nearly 1,000 pages of history and pedigrees for the breed.
first appeared: 8/26/2007
—Following the Civil War, artist and photographer William Henry Jackson of Rutland (pop. 17,292), accompanied a geologic survey to Wyoming, becoming the first photographer to capture the natural beauty of the area that is now Yellowstone National Park. Jackson’s photos were instrumental in Yellowstone’s designation as the first U.S. national park.
first appeared: 8/12/2007
—Born in Newport (pop. 5,005), millionaire merchant Charles Francis Adams founded one of the National Hockey League’s original six teams, the Boston Bruins, in 1924. The NHL’s Adams Division is named for him.
first appeared: 7/29/2007
—Landmark College in Putney (pop. 2,634) is an accredited institution established to provide students with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other learning disabilities with a liberal arts college education. It occupies the campus that once housed Windham College.
first appeared: 7/15/2007
—The year 1791 was a notable one for Vermont: It became the 14th state, the University of Vermont in Burlington (pop. 38,889) was chartered, and Thomas Jefferson and James Madison paid a visit. A total of 85,341 people called Vermont home that year.
first appeared: 7/1/2007
—John Godfrey Saxe, born in Highgate (pop. 3,397) in 1816, twice ran for governor but is best remembered for his poetry. Among his best known are The Proud Miss McBride and the Rhyme of the Rail.
first appeared: 6/17/2007
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