Robert Frost Wayside

Robert Frost Wayside. Robert Frost Country: Moments in Time. , "Whose woods these are I think I know. , His house is in the village though; , He will not see me stopping here , To watch his woods fill up with snow.", -Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (1-4) , from The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by E.C. Lathem © 1923, Robert Frost, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, celebrated the fields and forests of New England in his work. Having spent the majority of his young adult life living in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Frost moved to Vermont in 1920 "to seek a better place to farm and especially grow apples." Frost spent four decades living seasonally in Vermont, becoming the state's official poet laureate. Frost wrote much of his work from a log cabin in Ripton, located one-half mile from this site., The Vermont landscape evokes lines from Frost's work with its small, rural populations; robust agricultural base, and scenic vistas. At this location in 1983, Governor Richard Snelling designated the surrounding landscape as Robert Frost Country, including: the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, Robert Frost Wayside picnic area, Robert Frost Memorial Drive, the farm where Frost lived, and the Bread Loaf School of English that Frost cofounded. The following moments in time helped to shape Robert Frost Country into what you see today., 1700s , 1771: Vermont population was 7,000, primarily settled in southern Vermont. Conflicts over land ownership caused settlers to rally around Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys (pictured) to fight for independence as a State. , 1777: The Independent Republic of Vermont was forged on July 8 in Windsor, VT. The Vermont Constitution was the first in America to prohibit slavery, to establish universal voting rights for all males, and to authorize a public school system. Although there is no record of an official Vermont Flag prior to 1804, accounts record use of the Flag of the Green Mountain Boys as far back as 1777 (pictured). , 1781: Ripton township was chartered by the Republic of Vermont General Assembly. , 1787: The U.S. Constitution was ratified at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Vermont was not among the 13 colonies. , 1791: New York ceased attempts to annex Vermont enabling the United States government to accept the Republic of Vermont, population now 85,000, as the 14th state in the Union. Only two states, Texas and Vermont, had independent governments before joining the Union., 1800s , 1800: Daniel Chipman and Gamaliel Painter, Middlebury town fathers, chartered Middlebury College. A few days later, in response to public desire to cross the mountains, they petitioned the Vermont Assembly to create the Center Turnpike connecting Middlebury to Hancock, known as Vermont Route 125 today. , 1820: Ripton's population was 42 people whose subsistence relied primarily on the forest. Settlers cut and burned thousands of hardwood trees to create potash, used in the manufacture of soap and glass. , 1828: Although chartered in 1781, the town was not organized until 1828. The first town meeting was held at Calvin Pier's tavern just west of this location along the trail. , 1830: Due to manufacturing opportunities, including wool production, sawmills and charcoal industry, Ripton's population grew to 278 people. Remnants of charcoal kilns (pictured) are still visible on the Green Mountain National Forest today. , 1891: Advances in technology, including introduction of the steam engine, put pressure on Vermont resources. Vermont's spruce and pine forests were heavily logged leading to passage of the Forest Reserve Act. Signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison, the Act put in place the means to protect identified "forest reserves" from exploitative logging practices to be managed by the Department of the Interior., 1900s , 1905: "Forest Reserves" became the charge of the Bureau of Forestry, quickly renamed the U.S Forest Service. Eventually, those forest reserves became the national forests we know today, now nearly 200 million acres. , 1911: The U.S. Congress passed the Week's Act authorizing acquisition of eastern forests to be administered as National Forests for timber production and watershed protection. , 1920: Previously a summer hotel, the Bread Loaf Inn, located less than a mile from this site, became Middlebury College's summer school of English where it has hosted a summer Writers' Conference since 1926 (pictured). Robert Frost helped to create the annual conference and often appeared as a speaker. , 1935: Middlebury College began selling lands to be part of the Green Mountain National Forest. The parcel, now known as Robert Frost Wayside, was one of the first (parking area pictured in 1955). , 1976: The Robert Frost Interpretive Trail was constructed by the U.S. Forest Service and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps., 2000s , 2000: The legacy and cultural influence of Robert Frost continues as evidenced by references in film, television, song, and other outlets. Visitors from around the world visit "Robert Frost Country" to experience firsthand the surroundings that impacted his work. Select quotes from Frost poems are mounted along the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail to delight these visitors and to capture the spirit of Frost's impact on society. , 2020: Efforts on behalf of the Vermont Congressional delegation, including Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Representative Peter Welch, secured funding to expand universal accessibility and connect the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail and Robert Frost Wayside sites. Visitors of all mobility levels are welcomed to travel through managed blueberry patches, enjoy Frost's poetry, and enjoy the beauty of the South Branch Middlebury River.