Walk in History's Footsteps in St. Johnsbury

From the earliest native Abenaki settlements, people have been drawn to St. Johnsbury and its beauty and abundance. Along the upper reaches of the Connecticut...

Johnsbury transports you back centuries when horse-drawn carriages filled the broad main avenue.

The Caledonia County Courthouse, marking St. Johnsbury as the county seat, stands adjacent to a park with a Civil War monument. Nearby is the oldest, unaltered gallery in the United States and a National Historic Landmark, the Athenaeum. A public library and art gallery, it was presented to the town in 1871 by the Fairbanks family and has been carefully preserved with its intricate woodwork and stenciled ceiling. In addition to exhibits, it is a vibrant site with public readings and events throughout the year.

Stroll by elegant homes around Arnold Park and admire the massive Brantview, an imposing Queen-Anne style chateau featuring a 60-foot center hall, grand staircase and fine woodwork inside. Admire the grand windows of the Pearl House, the pavilioned porch of the Estabrook House and the 1820 Paddock House, the first brick home in the town.

Along the way, you’ll catch sight of the soaring six churches and the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium.  In the Museum, you’ll find animal habitat dioramas from the Cabinet of Curiosities of Franklin Fairbanks, the Museum’s founder, as well as shells and tools, gems and fossils and Vermont’s only public planetarium, all under a great Victorian arch.

St. Johnsbury has a wide variety of artisan shops and dining options, and a calendar full of workshops and performances.

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. ― Mark Twain