Vermont Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

Looking for Vermont trivia? Try our list Vermont little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

In 1855, Joshua Stoddard, a native of Pawlet (pop. 1,394), patented the steam-calliope, a musical instrument with a shrill whistle that could be heard for miles. The device was used to attract attention for circuses and arriving steamboats.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

The Morgan horse breed originated from Figure, a small horse born in 1789 and acquired by teacher and composer Justin Morgan of Randolph (pop. 4,853). After Morgan's death, Figure became known as the Justin Morgan horse.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

In 1909, the Morgan Horse Club was formed during the Vermont State Fair held at White River Junction (pop. 2,569). Morgan horses from as far away as Illinois and Pennsylvania came to participate in a highly competitive atmosphere.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

The nation's first large-scale wind turbine was operated at Grandpa's Knob in Castleton (pop. 4,367) in 1941. Designed to generate power for an alternating current system, the turbine stood atop a 110-foot tower and had 75-foot blades. The structure weighed 240 tons.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra, founded in the 1930s, is dedicated to performing around the state—in gymnasiums, racetracks and hillsides—wherever there's an audience available. Its musicians have included lawyers, mail carriers and farmers.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship, held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro (pop. 978). Public performances are conducted each weekend while the school is in session.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

The Green Mountain State was the first to offer troops to fight in the Civil War. In fact, half of the male residents of the state who were eligible served in the Union Army.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

U.S. Sen. Justin Smith Morrill (1810-1898), a successful businessman and legislator, was intrigued with architecture and landscaping, and designed his home and gardens in Strafford (pop. 1,045). Today, the homestead is a National Historic Landmark.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

In the mid-1800s, inventor Joel A.H. Ellis of Springfield (pop. 9,078) devised, among other things, doll carriages and jointed dolls made of maple wood. The dolls were sold to dealers for $9, $10.50 and $13.50 per dozen, respectively, for the small, medium and large sizes.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

Matthew Lyon served as Vermont’s Republican congressman from 1797 to 1801. Jailed in 1798 under the Sedition Act for criticizing President John Adams, he was re-elected from his jail cell.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

An ancient pine tree visible from the Arlington (pop. 2,397) home of Vermont’s first governor, Thomas Chittenden, is believed to have inspired Ira Allen in designing Vermont’s state seal. Accepted by Vermont’s General Assembly in 1779, the design also features wheat sheaves, a cow and the words "Vermont Freedom & Unity."

first appeared: 3/12/2006

One of Vermont’s nicknames, the "Covered Bridge State," is well earned. More than 500 covered spans once crossed Vermont waters. The state’s earliest authenticated bridge was built in 1824 across the Missisquoi River at Highgate Falls (pop. 3,397).

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Known for her depiction of rural Vermont life, Dorothy Canfield Fisher was a popular novelist and education proponent. She introduced the Montessori teaching method to American readers and helped found the Adult Education Association in the United States. She died in 1958 in Arlington (pop. 2,397), where she lived most of her life.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

In 1905, an act of Congress established a horse farm in Weybridge (pop. 824) to perpetuate the Morgan horse, a breed used by the U.S. military. The federal government funded the farm until the University of Vermont took over its operation in 1951. Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1973, the farm remains dedicated to the breeding and preservation of the Morgan horse.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

Artist Norman Rockwell moved to Arlington (pop. 2,397) in 1938. After his first studio burned, he moved to a 1792 house that once served as a tavern and inn. Today, the house is a bed and breakfast called the Inn on Covered Bridge Green.

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS VERMONT 2006Megan Alane Plebani is studying biology at the University of Vermont, but hopes to earn her graduate degree in business to work in pharmaceutical sales, specializing in pediatric cancer prevention.

first appeared: 1/8/2006

The steel carpenter’s square was invented by Silas Hawes of Shaftsbury (pop, 3,767) in 1814 and was patented five years later.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

The Battle of Hubbardton (pop. 752) on July 7, 1777, was the only battle of the American Revolution that took place entirely on Vermont soil. Technically an American defeat, the rear-guard action, which included Vermont’s famed Green Mountain Boys, accomplished what it was meant to do—delay the British in pursuing the main force of Americans withdrawing from the area.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

The world’s second successful steamboat, the 120-foot Vermont, was launched in 1809 at Burlington (pop. 38,889), 200 years after explorer Samuel de Champlain, in a bark canoe, first visited the lake that bears his name.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

Alexander Twilight earned a baccalaureate degree from Middlebury (pop. 6,252) College in 1823 and is believed to be the nation’s first African-American college graduate. He also was the first of his race elected to the Vermont Legislature.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

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