The town of Barton in the NEK is beautiful, and there are some interesting things about this town that you may not know. From where Barton got its name to breaking a world record, these things certainly add up to make eccentric town. In fact, Barton just may be the quirkiest town in VT! Let's take a look.
Barton is located in Orleans County and has a population of about 2,700 people.
The population peaked in 1920 with 3,506 residents.
Barton was named after one of its founders, General William Barton.
In the early 1800's Barton was successfully sued in court for selling the same land to two different parties. He refused to pay this debt and was ultimately sent to the debtors' prison in Danville for 14 years at the age of sixty-four.
It's been said that Barton certainly had the funds to repay, but he refused. So Barton is named after a bit of a swindler!
The Orleans County Fair has been held nearly every August since 1867.
In 1969 Edward Hoagland wrote the essay, "Americana, etc." to the fair. This inadvertently resulted in the demise of girlie shows at the fair, which were once a staple.
In 2011, a Guinness World Record was set when 301 Cadillacs were in the same parade on the opening day of the Fair.
103 were needed to beat the prior record. The Cadillac developer had been born in Barton.
In the late 1950's the last one-room schools stopped operation.
In 1964, a candlepin bowling alley was opened. Up to ten leagues used the facility but it closed in 2000. Too bad!
The unincorporated village of South Barton, sometimes called Kimball Station, no longer exists today. It was located near the Wheeler Mountain Road just south of Crystal Lake.
Barton has no shortage of water fun! Here you'll find the Barton and Willoughby Rivers, Hogtrough Brook, Lord Brook, Annis Brook, May Pond Brook, Willoughby Brook, and Roaring Brook.
The rainbow trout swim up the Willoughby River each spring to the beautiful Lake Willoughby. Talk about a scenic route!
All in all, Barton is a wonderful - and quirky - place to live. And the best part...
Is the people who live there, with an even quirkier sense of humor.
If you enjoy the quirkiest town in VT, you should check out this small town that's one of the coolest in the U.S.
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