Ruth Stone purchased this property in 1956, and for the next 55 years it inspired her writing and served as a haven for the many students and colleagues she welcomed. She published her first book of poetry in 1959, the same year her husband, poet and scholar Walter Stone, died. Stone supported herself and her three daughters by teaching creative writing, publishing books of poetry, and winning literary awards, including two Guggenheim Fellowships, a National Book Award, and the Wallace Stevens Award. She served as Vermont Poet Laureate from 2007 to 2011. Her 13 books of poetry display a vast spirit that battles loss with dry wit and fortitude while reveling in both everyday and cosmic worlds.