By Susan Samsonow
The "Old 494" steam engine and the Amtrak Rail Station (R)
are past and present reminders of the railroads influence.
The District Court of Vermont, Windsor Circuit, building can be seen in
the background (L).
Built and named for where the White River joins the Connecticut River, early settlers were probably drawn to this area for the plentiful wildlife in the forests, the abundance of crops that could be grown and harvested along the river banks and the readily accessible water ways for travel and transportation.
Now people are also attracted to the area for it's central location, at the crossroads of Routes 4 and 5, and Interstates 89 and 91, providing easy access to Vermont, New Hampshire, New England and Canada. The area now boasts a mixture of industry and metropolitan, gift shops and shopping plazas, restaurants, theater, national hotel chains, country inns, bed and breakfasts and natural beauty.
The village of White River Junction is part of the Town of Hartford, along with the villages of Quechee, Wilder, West Hartford and Hartford. White River's history is tied very closely with these neighboring villages. Chartered on July 4th 1761 by King George III of England and settled by families from Lebanon, CT, the entire area encompasses over 24,000 acres (over 38 square miles) with a population of over 9,400.
The railroad has played a predominent role in the village's history. White River was the first and largest railroad center in New England north of Boston. The Vermont Central Railroad Company was chartered in 1835, by Governor Charles Paine. 10 years later ground was broke for the first rails and on June 26 1848, the first train to run in the state left White River Junction for Bethel, VT, a trip of 27 miles. Paine and other railroad pioneers planned connections for the Connecticut River to Burlington, VT and on December 31 1849, the Vermont Central arrived in Burlington. In it's prime, the White River Junction railroad station is said to have had at least 50 passenger trains arriving and departing daily, with rail lines linking nearly all centers with Boston, Montreal, New York and beyond to the west.
With an excellent source of water power, White River Junction also became the location for many factories, including a saw mill and box factory, chair factory, fork and farm implement factory. Plus the area was one of the highest fur-yielding territories in New England. By the end of the century however, the short rail lines began to falter, the novelty of riding the rails was wearing off, operating expenses were increasing and freight loads did not meet expectations. Lines too close to river beds were damaged by floods. Then came the automobile, changing the transportation industry forever.
Amtrak built a rail station in 1911 and currently provides passenger service from Washington, D.C. to St. Albans, VT (with connecting bus services to Montreal). The "Vermonter" train has nine other stops in addition to the one in White River Junction. Full service freight lines are also maintained by the Boston & Maine Railroad and the New England Central Railroad.
Every October, in celebraton of the railroad heritage, White River Junction hosts the "Glory Days of the Railroad Festival", an event complete with railroad memorabilia, exhibits, crafts, food, a kiddie tractor-train ride and 3 train rides to Windsor, VT. "Old 494", a Boston and Maine steam engine build in 1892 and used until 1938, has been refurbished and can be seen at the White River Junction rail station. Exhibited in two World's Fairs, the engine is a permanent symbol of the industry that created the village.
Walking tours allow visitors and locals to explore the many points of interest in the downtown's National Registered Historic District. Foremost on Main Street is the Hotel Coolidge, built in 1925 after the Junction House Hotel was destroyed in a fire. The original Junction House Hotel came from a neighboring town where it was dismanteled and reassembled in White River in 1849 and was also destroyed by fire in 1878. Named in honor of Colonel John Coolidge, father of President Calvin Coolidge, the restored rail era hotel, currently on the National Register, still offers lodging, fine food, relaxation and rest to all it's guests. The Hotel's lounge displays a mural depicting the traces of the history of Vermont, starting with the Iroquois Indians. Painted in 1950, by Peter Gish in exchange for room and board, the artist used hotel employees to pose as models for figures in the mural. Right next door to the Hotel is the Briggs Opera House, built in 1890 as a regional civic center. It now is home to the White River Theater Festival and the Northern Stage Company which provide artistic performances and events throughout the year.
Catamount Brewery, once a part of the Historic District, is Vermont's first micro-brewery and Vermont's first active brewery in 100 years. The new state-of-the-art brewery in Windsor, VT, features traditional beer, ale and lagers using natural ingredients. Seasonal brewery tours and tastings are also available in addition to browsing through the gift shops.
Historic District of downtown featuring
shops and services, in addition to the Briggs Opera House and the Hotel
Coolidge
The Miller Automobile Company, (originally the Excelsior Carriage Company), became America's first Cadillac dealer in 1902 when an 18 year old Garfield "Dusty" Miller (so named as he was frequently covered with dust after riding his bicycle to school) proceeded, without his father's consent, to become a distributor for the Northern New England area. Miller Auto still operates from Historic downtown.
The village of White River is the seat for the municipal and town offices. The building was built in 1884 as the first school house and part of the school yard still remains as a public park and playground. The Town of Hartford also manages the Hurricane Forest and Wildlife Refuge Park, over 140 acres designated for hiking, picnicing, skiing, fishing and snowmobiling and was featured as one of the best hiking areas in 1995. The Hartford Parks and Recreation Department also provides a wide variety of year round programs including arts and crafts, team sports for children and adults, vacation camps and family nights. Senior citizens can find lots to do at the Bugbee Senior Center, a community center with services and activities designed to support independence and encourage involvement in the center and the community.
Whether shopping or sight-seeing, traveling is easy from White River. One may use the local Advance Transit buses or the Vermont Transit Greyhound Bus Lines which has a major terminal in White River and daily trips throughout VT and NH plus Boston, Hartford and Montreal. Or ride the "Vermonter" train, fly into the Regional Airport in Lebanon, NH or hop on the nearest exit of the Interstates. The longest Interstate bridge in VT, 1200 feet long, is the I-91 bridge, from White River Junction towards Wilder, Even movie star Lillian Gish traveled to White River Junction and spent some time on location there, filming the ice scene portions of the movie "Way Down East" in 1920.
Veteran's Administration Hospital, one of the
area's major employers
In a location with a strong and solid work ethic, one of White River's major employers is the Veteran's Administration Hospital. As a Medical and Regional Office Center, the facility provides healthcare, assists with veterans benefits, conducts medical research and provides medical education in addition to being the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the National Center for Clinical Ethics. The US Postal Service, the Hartford School District and Town Offices, the State of Vermont and the NYNEX Company are also among the area's larger employers.
White River Junction's Elementary School
White River Junction has it's own elementary school for grades K-5 (in addition to elementary schools in Quechee and Wilder) and a Middle School for grades 6-8. The Hartford High School was recognized by Redbook Magazine as one of the best in the nation, particularly for the strength of the academics, the unique cooperative learning techniques and programs for children at risk. The Hartford Career and Technology Center provides educational opportunities for high school students in 18 different programs, in addition to adult technical courses. Plus the Community College of VT, along with the VT State Colleges, offers over 1000 courses each semester, in small (typically less than 15 students) individualized classes.
Mother nature has dealt a harsh hand to the village of White River over the years, destroying many old grand buildings, factories, rail tracks and covered bridges by fire, floods, ice jams and even a hurricane. Throughout all of it's colorful history, the citizens of White River Junction have had the strength and perseverance to make their community a safe, healthy and community oriented environment in which to live, work and raise a family.