Woodstock was chartered by New Hampshire Royal Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761. Named the Shire Town of Windsor County in 1786, it quickly became a prosperous manufacturing and commercial center. The town has been home to environmentalist George Perkins Marsh, railroad empire-builder Frederick Billings, Senator Jacob Collamer, an advisor to President Lincoln, and conservationist and philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller. It was the birthplace of sculptor Hiram Powers, noted for “Greek Slave.” From 1826 to 1856, it hosted the Vermont Medical College, one of only six medical colleges in New England. Woodstock was the terminus of the Woodstock Railway from 1877 to 1933, connecting the town to the Central Vermont Railroad in White River Junction. Travelers arriving by rail helped establish its reputation as a tourist destination, a role it still holds today. Called “the prettiest small town in America” by a national publication, Woodstock is known for the architecture of its houses and churches. It was the site of the first ski-tow in the United States in 1934, is home to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, and remains the only town in America with five church bells cast by Paul Revere and Co.

Photo: Paul Crumlish

Photo: Paul Crumlish

Photo: Paul Crumlish

Photo: Paul Crumlish

Photo: Paul Crumlish

Photo: Paul Crumlish

West Woodstock, Vermont · USA