On my way to Rupert, Vermont late one rainy fall afternoon I found myself wedged between Egg and Bear Mountains. Anyone familiar with these western Vermont villages (Rupert and West Rupert, with maybe a mile or two between them) knows that the usual approach from New York is out Rt. 153 from Salem. That's certainly a lovely drive along White Creek, gradually gaining elevation as it approaches the border and the high mountains beyond. But there's another, wilder road that follows Camden Creek up into the heart of the Taconics before eventually bringing you to Rupert. I have a long history with this road: driving, biking and using it as starting point to climb the aforementioned mountains. I try to return whenever I can. It's like reconnecting with an old friend.
There are a few homes, a few seasonal camps and several small ponds but what you most remember is trees crowding in and arching over a narrow gravel lane. It's a nearly perfect road and one I hope will forever escape the asphalt pavers. Maybe there's a little anxiety to driving such a lonesome route on a wet, grey day with an early dusk closing in. I still remember the comforting feel when the warm glow from the windows of West Ruperts cozy homes finally came into view.
I was in Rupert for a program at the Methodist Church but with a few minutes to spare decided to do a quick tour of town. I'ld driven thru here dozens of times but always when going somewhere else: dinner at The Barn, biking in Dorset or some event in Manchester. What I soon realized is that these villages could easily be a destination of their own. Let others have their weekends in Boston, Montreal or New York. I could find plenty of interest right here. From rail trail to mountain preserve, from old cemeteries to historical architecture. Plenty to explore. And hopefully I will explore more in future posts but for now just a few quick shots I took before darkness settled.
The old Sheldon Store
The Post Office
Wonder if Steve Earle has been here?
The program I had come to attend was on the early native peoples of Western Vermont and Eastern New York. It was co-hosted by the Hebron Preservation Society and the Rupert Historical Society. Jess Robinson, Vermont State Archaeologist was the featured speaker. The beautiful sanctuary of the Rupert United Methodist Church was nearly full for the presentation and we were treated to a fast paced overview of archaeological insight.
Inside and out. Views of the United Methodist Church.
It's impossible to do Robinson's power point justice here so I'll just share a few scribbled notes I took from the evening. Modern humans evolved in Africa about 250,000 years ago. It was only about 20,000 years ago when they made it to North America from Eastern Asia. These became the Paleoindians that first populated our region as the glaciers melted 10 to 13,000 years ago. They crafted fine stone points from jasper and rhyolite and harvested the bountiful food supplies in and around the Champlain Sea.
The Archaic Period stretched from 9000 to 3000 years ago with sites at Chimney Point and Crown Point on Lake Champlain being well documented. Archaeologist have also done excavations at a site near Bennington where an estimated village of a 100 people was located some 3900 years ago. Points were made of locally available quartz, quartzite and chert. Similar artifacts can be seen in a display case at Cambridge Central School.
The Woodland Period followed with a warming trend and the introduction of pottery and agriculture. Butternuts were highly sought after and one of the factors that guided native settlement. With European contact in the 1600's the rest is quite literally 'history'. The program wrapped up with a lively Q and A with Robinson explaining the difference between chipped v. ground stone points among many other queries.
I think everyone left the church with a deeper appreciation for the long history of our area and I know I left as well with new found appreciation for all that Rupert had to offer. It'll never be a 'drive thru' place for me again. Well, not unless I'm driving a tractor.
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