Hike to Chester, Vermont

Having my tea by the fire this morning. 

I put this photo in yesterday but neglected to tell you about the inn. 

The original cape house has (more than likely) been in place since Vermont was incorporated as a state in 1791. Our room was in the original part of the house. The Motel part was originally constructed sometime in the 1950's as part of the Palmer House in Manchester, Vermont. Motel rooms one thru seven were hauled over the mountains in 1969 and delivered in two sections. The two structures were then melded together like a cozy Vermont patchwork quilt - with various common areas, additional inn rooms, plus motel rooms eight and nine - not to mention, nooks and crannies galore, added in over the years.

After a really nice breakfast, which I also neglected to photograph, the innkeeper drove us a short way to the start of the walk. 

He dropped us off here for the start of our walk today. 

From left to right: Kim, Sonia, Mike and Diane. 

Sonia and Mike

About 70% of the trees have lost their leaves already but we enjoyed the color that was left. 

This is fairly indicative of the trail today. It was mostly road walking. 

There really are red leaves. They’re just on the ground. 

The first turn. Diane, Mike & Sonia missed the turn by just a little bit and had to turn around. We joked about it being the only turn that had a street sign and was clearly marked. Lane mentioned last night that people often start talking and miss a turn. Clearly, that happened this morning. 😁

I always hesitate to paint fall leaves with yellow right next to red but they really are red and yellow with no blending. 

Sat down in the “grave yard” to get a pebble out of my shoe. 

Pumpkins along the stone wall. 

I love painting these trees so this is just more card fodder. 

Not sure about the significance of the stones. Mini Stonehenge???

Second turn onto Popple Dungeon Rd. A little story about the name: 

When this section of Vermont was first settled the area was called Poplar Grove and the name is found in early records. It was a pretty name for a community full of Poplar trees. A common contraction for Poplar is Popple, and so the first word makes sense.

The story of how the grove became a dungeon is a little less sure. Lauren Clark, who grew up in Popple Dungeon,  went to the District 15 school and had a sharp memory. 

One day, when Lauren was around twelve, there was a substitute teacher at red schoolhouse #15. Like children of every age are prone to do, Lauren and his classmates gave the teacher a particularly hard time. It seems that the older boys made the day so miserable for her it prompted her to exclaim, "This place isn't Popple Grove it's Popple Dungeon." The teacher's critical comment was undoubtedly reinforced by the fact that the locals referred to a stretch of road that reached from #15 school to a bridge to the east as "the dungeon". The over hang of the tree branches and the heavy growth of bush along that stretch of road gave the area a dark and forbidding appearance. 

As you can imagine, the boys picked up this name and started to call their neighborhood Popple Dungeon or just "The Dungeon." This would have happened sometime prior to World War I, but the date is not clear. By the late "teens" newspapers were using both 

names.

During the Civil War 15 young men responded to the call for volunteers and the Popple Dungeon neighborhood has never regained what it lost at that time. 13 never came home. 

Love this except from the Diary of Etta Clark Fitzgerald, August 25, 1910

"Old Home Day in Popple Dungeon, 208 are there, a fine time, Ma would not go. Papa (Cooledge Clark) plays bass drum. Zinna, Edna and I had picture taken."

Next we turned onto Dodge Rd.

I took this of all the falling leaves but they’re not so clear in the video. 

Jo Anne this photo is for you. Since you sent me one of a pine tree with leaves that looked like ornaments I thought I’d share one with you 😁.  

We stopped for a lunch snack and Kim took his boots off. 

One lone red leaf

This was my favorite part of the walk. We were finally off the road. 

Kody, this one’s for you. 

I love the tannin contact print from the leaf. Rain washes tannins from the leaves, which then leave a trace on the tarmac. This section was covered with “accidental” eco-prints. We think we’re so clever using tea to create them but God created them naturally. 

Our final turn into the woods and into Chester. 

Swinging bridge right before we entered Chester. 

I can’t really mention Chester without a mention of sheep. Sheep farming had a profound effect on the economy of Vermont early in the nineteenth century. At its height, between the 1830s and 1840s, there were 10,000 sheep in the town of Chester alone to provide wool for all the woolen mills in New England. 

The Williams River running under the bridge. 

The original old school. 

Number 15 school was erected in 1860 by James Bemis and Henry A. Gould, both were residents of that district. Henry Gould was chairman of the building committee. According to him the voters of the district had a big fight over its construction, which lasted over three months! Some things never change. Obviously the disagreements were settled and the school was built. This place educated students from a two-mile circumference until it was closed in the 1920s. We walked the same route the children once took from the Popple Dungeon farms and settlements to the nearest school each day. 

First Baptist Church

Some of the architecture in Chester. 

Our room has a jacuzzi tub with mineral epson salt soak. 

It's a very large bathroom with mini-fridge and a fireplace heater. Nice!

But we are up 3 flights of stairs. Fortunately, our bags were in the room already. We just have to take them down in the morning. 

After arriving at the Inn Victoria, we all sat out on the porch and enjoyed a wonderful plate of snacks that were left for us in the rooms.  

Constructed in 1850, Inn Victoria began its life as the family residence of Dr. Abram Lowell, (who gave his name to the nearby Lake and State park). The doctor used the small building on the side of the house as his medical office. In the 1880s, George Hilton, Lowell’s son-in-law added a third story and mansard roof to the house in the style of the French second empire. Inn Victoria, also known historically as the Hilton House, is the only example of this architectural style in Chester, Vermont.

Over the years, Inn Victoria has had many uses other than a family residence. It was once a Milner’s, a cartography office for the National Survey, and for many years was unoccupied before opening as a bed and breakfast inn in 1988.

I will have to post pictures of the outside of the Inn tomorrow since I didn’t take any tonight. 

Stats:

Steps - 26,482

Miles - 11.7

Floors - 17 or 797’ ascent