Middlebury in Addison County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)

John Deere

Inventor of "The Plow that Broke the Plains"

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2005

1. John Deere Marker

Inscription.
John Deere learned the blacksmith trade here as an apprentice in the shop of Capt. Benjamin Lawrence from 1821 to 1825. The shop was located below this spot on Mill Street, in what is known as "Frog Hollow". In 1836 Deere removed to Grand Detour, Illinois where, in 1837, he built the world's first steel moldboard plow.

Erected 1968 by Vermont Board of Historic Sites.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1821.

Location. 44° 0.765′ N, 73° 10.155′ W. Marker is in Middlebury, Vermont, in Addison County. It is on Main Street 0.1 miles south of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located in a small park between Park Street and Main Street, across Main Street from the Ilsley Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 78 Main Street, Middlebury VT 05753, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Champlain Valley

and in Greater Burlington.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mill District (within shouting distance of this marker); Town & Gown (within shouting distance of this marker); Marble Works Memorial Bridge (within shouting

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

distance of this marker); The Battell Block (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Marble Works Memorial Bridge (about 600 feet away); Site of Middlebury High School (about 600 feet away); From Two Bridges to One Tunnel (about 600 feet away); The Duclos Building (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middlebury.

Also see . . . John Deere - Inventor - Wikipedia. (Submitted on August 31, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Update Photo - - John Deere Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Craft, August 1, 2014

2. Update Photo - - John Deere Marker

Wideview of John Deere Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Craft, August 1, 2014

3. Wideview of John Deere Marker

Photographed by Kevin Craft, August 1, 2014

4. Wideview of John Deere Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 29, 2012, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,201 times since then and 88 times this year. Last updated on March 5, 2026, by R.J. O’Hara of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Photos: 1. submitted on January 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 4, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.