Goshen in Rutland County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
The Ruth Stone House / Green Apples
Ruth Stone (1915-2011) purchased this property in 1956, and for the next 55 years it provided inspiration for her writing and 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, reveling in both everyday and cosmic worlds.
Green Apples
In August we carried the old horsehair mattress
To the back porch
And slept with our children in a row.
The wind came up the mountain into the orchard
Telling me something:
Saying something urgent.
I was happy.
The green apples fell on the sloping roof
And rattled down.
The wind was shaking me all night long;
Shaking me in my sleep
Like a definition of love,
Saying, this is the moment,
Here, now.
—Ruth Stone, 1971
Erected 2017 by Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.
Location. 43° 51.208′ N, 72° 59.927′ W. Marker is in Goshen, Vermont, in Rutland County. Marker is on Hathaway Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 788 Hathaway Road, Brandon VT 05733, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Forest Dale Ironworks (approx. 2.9 miles away); Brandon Civil War Memorial (approx. 5.8 miles away); Brandon Training School (approx. 5.9 miles away); Stephen A. Douglas (approx. 6 miles away); a different marker also named Stephen A. Douglas (approx. 6 miles away); Robert Frost (approx. 7.2 miles away); Fort Vengeance (approx. 7.7 miles away); Kendrick Dam, Pond, Mill, and Ice House (approx. 9.1 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2019, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. This page has been viewed 360 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 27, 2019, by Dennis Gilkenson of Saxtons River, Vermont. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.