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Hidden History of Vermont
A look back on the riveting history of Vermont, featuring stories from the American Revolution and the summoning of spirits.
Vermont's history is marked by fierce independence, generosity of spirit and the saga of human life along its steep slopes and fertile valleys. Meet the widow who outwitted Tories and may have spied for the Green Mountain Boys. Encounter the family who gained a national following by summoning spirits. Discover why one governor opposed women's suffrage and how that may have involved spirits of another sort. Visit an island retreat where Harpo Marx cheated at croquet and satirist Dorothy Parker wore nothing but a garden hat. Historian Mark Bushnell offers a glimpse of the Green Mountain State rarely seen.
Vermont's history is marked by fierce independence, generosity of spirit and the saga of human life along its steep slopes and fertile valleys. Meet the widow who outwitted Tories and may have spied for the Green Mountain Boys. Encounter the family who gained a national following by summoning spirits. Discover why one governor opposed women's suffrage and how that may have involved spirits of another sort. Visit an island retreat where Harpo Marx cheated at croquet and satirist Dorothy Parker wore nothing but a garden hat. Historian Mark Bushnell offers a glimpse of the Green Mountain State rarely seen.
- GenresHistory
176 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 16, 2018
An interesting book with “alternate history”facts.
Well written and never dull. You don’t have to know much of Vermont’s state history to enjoy this book. It does fill in some memory gaps as far as what we’ve been taught in the past. Overall an entertaining and quick read.
Well written and never dull. You don’t have to know much of Vermont’s state history to enjoy this book. It does fill in some memory gaps as far as what we’ve been taught in the past. Overall an entertaining and quick read.
August 24, 2020
This was randomly compelling. I learned a lot.
September 10, 2025
I highly recommend this book. Vermont has a lot of history given its key geographic position. Especially during the revolutionary period.
August 24, 2022
Didn't expect this to be nearly as interesting as it was, very fun read and informative to the state I have spent my entire life in.
June 17, 2025
The “Hidden History of Vermont” is a collection of very short stories that tell part of the history of Vermont. The short stories amount to a “Random Walk” through Vermont’s history, designed to make you smile, rather than present a serious account of history.
I really liked some of these vignettes. My favourite is “Marching turkeys to market” where Vermonters were so poor at the time they had to drive a flock of turkeys on a two week-long walk to Boston to bring them to market for Thanksgiving. The story was startling in itself, and also had inside twists in it such as when the turkey’s passed through Vermont’s famed covered bridges. They flew up in the rafters as they associated the roof with trees – and their preferred resting place for the night.
The weakness of the book was that it really had little to do with the founding peoples of Vermont starting with the indigenous tribes and discussing the arrival of the Europeans. There was some mention of Colonists from neighboring New Hampshire (Pilgrims from East Anglia) and New York (Dutch?), but not much about the waves of Europeans who were drawn to Vermont's mountains.
The book also didn’t cover the development of Vermont or many famous Vermonters including the founders of Ben and Jerry’s or US Senator Bernie Sanders. Nor did it cover the recent migration to Vermont – which continues to happen.
It's a fun book but nothing too serious. It’s something I’d like to find at an AirBnB in Vermont – interesting and light
I really liked some of these vignettes. My favourite is “Marching turkeys to market” where Vermonters were so poor at the time they had to drive a flock of turkeys on a two week-long walk to Boston to bring them to market for Thanksgiving. The story was startling in itself, and also had inside twists in it such as when the turkey’s passed through Vermont’s famed covered bridges. They flew up in the rafters as they associated the roof with trees – and their preferred resting place for the night.
The weakness of the book was that it really had little to do with the founding peoples of Vermont starting with the indigenous tribes and discussing the arrival of the Europeans. There was some mention of Colonists from neighboring New Hampshire (Pilgrims from East Anglia) and New York (Dutch?), but not much about the waves of Europeans who were drawn to Vermont's mountains.
The book also didn’t cover the development of Vermont or many famous Vermonters including the founders of Ben and Jerry’s or US Senator Bernie Sanders. Nor did it cover the recent migration to Vermont – which continues to happen.
It's a fun book but nothing too serious. It’s something I’d like to find at an AirBnB in Vermont – interesting and light
September 13, 2019
Digging beneath the surface of Vermont history for some fascinating tidbits.
July 9, 2020
Historic stories of Vermont I had no idea ever happened- great short stories
November 1, 2026
My favorite was learning about the turkey runs. New England is so ridiculous
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews