Original subtitles

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- Our journey begins

at Vermont's state capital, Montpelier,

with its golden domed State House.

From there, we travel northwest

to a business known around the world,

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

At Middlebury, the town is almost dwarfed

by the liberal arts university, Middlebury College,

founded over two centuries ago in 1800.

Near the little town of Ripton is the farmstead

of the world-renowned poet Robert Frost

who lived and wrote in it during the summer months.

To the south is Plymouth Notch Historic Village

and the home of American president Calvin Coolidge

who was born here in 1872.

We end our journey at Brattleboro, at the home

of the celebrated English author Rudyard Kipling

who wrote the well-known children's story,

"The Jungle Book".

Shrouded in early morning mist

and lying in a valley is Montpelier.

This is the capital city of Vermont

and is the least populous state capital

in the United States with around 8,000 people.

In fact, the state itself

is the second least populous one after Wyoming

with a total of just over 600,000.

This is less than the population of the city of Boston

in Massachusetts to the south.

Montpelier was founded in 1787

and named after the French city

in recognition of the help France gave

during the War of Independence.

However, there were Native Americans

living in this area well over 1,000 years ago,

though little remains of their existence.

Vermont, which was a sovereign independent republic,

was admitted to the Union in 1791 as the 14th state

and the first after the original 13 colonies

who signed the Declaration of Independence.

The city may be small, but it has a rich heritage,

including many fine 19th century houses,

many of which are now protected.

Also protected is the State Capitol,

a fine Greek revival building.

And the third State House on the site.

The one we see today, was built in 1859

and based on an ancient temple in Athens.

The dome was not gilded until the early 20th century

as part of the Colonial Revival style.

It is topped by a statue named Ceres,

the Roman goddess of agriculture.

The granite stone used to build the State House

did not have to come far.

In fact, the quarry is just 14 kilometers to the south.

This is the Rock of Ages Quarry

in the small town of Barre.

It boasts the deepest manmade hole in the world

at nearly 200 meters,

much of which is under the milky green water.

Granite has been quarried here for centuries.

However, most of the mining companies eventually failed.

But when the railway arrived in 1875,

it meant granite could be exported,

not only across the country but overseas as well.

It was a Scotsman, George B. Milne,

who started work as an apprentice granite cutter

who eventually bought this quarry in 1889

and called it Rock of Ages.

He turned it into a highly profitable business.

In the early days, several hundred men

labored in this dramatic landscape.

Today, just seven are required to do the same job

due to impressive modern machinery.

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Close by is Hope Cemetery and the resting place

for many of the local workers from the quarry.

By 1895, skilled artisans from around the world,

especially from Italy, had been flocking to Barre

to become part of the booming granite industry.

And one of the main uses of granite

throughout the country was in tombstones.

It's estimated that one third

of all memorials in the United States

have come from the Rock of Ages Quarry.

We now head northwest along Interstate 89,

known as the Vietnam Veterans Highway,

and in the autumn or fall in America,

pumpkin stalls can be seen.

The idea of hollowing them out

and turning them into jack-o-lanterns

probably started in Ireland

and was taken up in the States in the 1830s.

One of the many stories about Jack

says he tricked Satan into climbing an apple tree

but once he was up there,

Jack quickly carved a cross into the bark

so that Satan couldn't get down.

At the end of the 19th century,

37% of Vermont was forested

when large tracts of land were cleared for sheep.

With the gradual decline of farming over the decades,

the land was replanted

as wood became a more profitable business.

Today, around 78% of Vermont is forested,

contributing just under 10%

of the state's manufacturing output.

With towns and villages in often remote places,

bringing power to homes and businesses

means miles of pylons marching through the forests.

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The Vietnam Veterans Highway

passes through the small town of Waterbury,

providing a transport link

for a global brand of ice cream, Ben & Jerry's.

In 1978 with a $5 correspondence course

in ice cream making and a $12,000 investment,

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

opened their first ice cream shop

in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.

The rest, as they say, is history

and today their main factory is here in Waterbury.

It's also not hard to imagine

how popular it is as a tourist attraction,

especially for children,

as the factory tour also includes a free tasting.

In 2000, Ben and Jerry sold the company

to the multinational corporation Unilever

for $326 million so they could grow the brand

into a worldwide business.

Flavors are constantly changing,

and the factory has an ice cream graveyard

where past flavors are displayed.

Customers can return the return of a favorite

by filling out a form on the website,

and if there is sufficient interest,

it will be resurrected.

Though much of the state is forested,

the valleys still retain small farms,

many of which go back generations.

Today, people are trying to find ways

to preserve open farmland

and some of the rural characteristics of the state.

This is hard when so much food is imported

from places where it is cheaper to produce.

Many farmers now seek jobs off the farm

in order to make a living for their families.

In recent years,

farmers are trying to become more diversified

and now include a whole range of produce

on top of livestock and cereal crops,

including things like apples, honey, and maple syrup.

There has also been a growth in organic produce,

and since the formation of an association

in 1971 to promote it,

there are now nearly 600 farms

which meet the required standards.

Few structures in America combine architectural ingenuity,

economic necessity, and romantic idealism

better than the covered bridge.

They flourished in the United States

during the 19th century.

This is Pine Brook Covered Bridge,

completed in 1872.

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The purpose of the covering is to protect

the wooden structural members from the weather.

Uncovered wooden bridges only have a lifespan

of about 10 to 15 years

because of the effects of rain and sun.

Vermont has 104 covered bridges

out of about 1,500 in the whole country.

At one time, there were 12,000,

but neglect and abandonment slowly eroded the number.

In the 1950s, a preservation society was formed

that halted the decline.

Most of these interesting structures

are on the Register of Historic Places

like the Great Eddy Covered Bridge

which crosses the Mad River here at Waitsfield.

Back in the 19th century, these bridges were designed

to carry pedestrians and horses and carts.

Today's heavy vehicles

put an enormous load on the structure,

and as a consequence, they need constant repair.

Nature also takes its toll in rising floodwater.

In heavy rainfall in 2011, the Mad River swelled

and caused significant flooding throughout Waitsfield.

The water level rose to the height of the bridge

and pummeled the upstream side.

The bridge survived, but needed urgent repairs.

The Mad River Valley has a long history with farming

which stretches back to the 19th century.

The Joslin Round Barn Farm is reminiscent of that period

and provides a fine example of a dairy farm

and the agricultural innovation

that contributed to its success.

The collection of well-preserved farm buildings

includes an 1860 farmhouse

and the wonderful 1910 polygonal barn.

Even though it has 12 sides,

it's commonly referred to as a round barn

and it's one of only 15 remaining in the state.

The fashion for round buildings

was largely the result of articles from the 1850s

suggesting polygonal structures were an inexpensive,

more efficient alternative to traditional forms.

It was an interesting experiment in innovation

and provides visitors a glimpse

into Vermont's agricultural past.

In the autumn or fall, Vermont becomes a riot of colors

as the leaves begin to die.

Americans are sometimes accused

of saying that things are bigger and better in the US.

But with the autumn color in the New England states,

including Vermont, they have a lot to brag about.

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Pyrotechnic colors sweep across hills and valleys.

Red maple flaunts bright red leaves.

Black maples turn gold,

while sugar maples can be fiery vermilion,

yellow, or orange.

Sumac and sourwood are crimson.

Dogwood turns purple, and birch, gold.

Hickory is gleaming bronze.

As for the intensity of color,

that is down to a combination of soil,

altitude, and weather.

This annual event has its own language.

Leaf peepers are the thousands of visitors

who arrive to see the color.

Websites are devoted to presenting when the show will start,

and of course, it's entirely free.

One of the best ways of seeing this expansive color

is from the air,

but another way is to climb a mountain

and enjoy the 360 degree views

as well as breathing in clean, fresh mountain air.

This is Mount Abraham, the fifth tallest in the state,

and from the top, it would just be possible

for these people to see Middlebury,

our next location, 20 kilometers away.

Following the end of the French and Indian Wars in 1763,

the first settlers arrived and Middlebury was founded.

However, it was very nearly lost

when it was attacked by the British

during the War of Independence

and much of the town was burned.

The town survived and prospered

and in 1800, Middlebury College was founded

by Christian Congregationalists.

It became the first university in Vermont.

It's a private liberal arts college

with two-and-a-half thousand students

from every American state and 74 countries.

It's also the first American institution

to have granted a bachelor's degree

to an African American in 1823.

In 1883, it became one of the first universities

to admit women

and become a fully co-educational institution.

As with most American colleges,

sport plays an important part of student life.

As a private college, the fees at Middlebury

are just over $60,000 a year.

Now around 40% of students receive some form

of financial help through bursaries.

The college also founded an 800 hectare mountain campus

called the Bread Loaf School of English

for graduates in 1920.

One of the first supporters was the poet Robert Frost

who bought a nearby farm to write

and also lecture at the campus.

Today, his house belongs to the college

and is open to the public.

He is highly regarded

for his realist depictions of rural life

and his command of American everyday speech.

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His work frequently employed settings

from rural life in New England

in the early 20th century,

using them to examine

complex social and philosophical themes.

One of the most popular and critically respected

American poets of the 20th century,

he was honored frequently during his lifetime,

receiving four Pulitzer Prizes.

He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal

in 1960 for his poetic works,

and the following year

he was named Poet Laureate of Vermont.

Frost would often stay in the little cabin

a short walk up the hill

where he had the privacy to write,

but took his meals down at the house.

One of his last poems was called

"A Cabin in the Clearing".

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In the days of travel by horse, cart, or foot,

only a relatively short distance

could be covered in a day

compared to the hundreds of kilometers in a car.

There was therefore a need to build lodging establishments

for both travelers and also temporary workers

such as loggers between towns.

One such inn, which still feels remote,

is the Blueberry Hill Inn.

It has a history stretching back to 1813

and is surrounded by around 9,000 hectares of forest.

This is a place where today's travelers

can leave the modern world behind

and enjoy the simple pleasure

of being in unspoiled landscape.

In the winter, visitors come for cross-country skiing

and a warm fire and good food on their return.

50 kilometers away to the south

is the historic town of Woodstock

which some consider the prettiest small town in America.

The first settlers arrived in 1768

and they named the place

after Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England,

perhaps because some of them had emigrated

or had relations from that area.

Like Middlebury we saw earlier,

the town prospered after the War of Independence.

Waterfalls and the nearby river

provided power to operate mills.

Factories made a whole host of products

from woolens to scythes and axes.

And when the railway arrived in 1875,

it not only carried freight,

but also brought in tourists,

and it's now tourism that largely drives the economy.

They come to see the beautiful Federal style

and Greek Revival style houses

which line many of the streets.

It's largely thanks to the immensely wealthy

Rockefeller family that the overall character

of the town exists today.

They helped preserve the 19th century architecture

and the rural feel

by having the town's power lines buried underground

and to protect the ridgeline views

by promoting a scenic ridgeline district

in order to protect the views from and to the town.

A popular attraction for visitors

is to cross the Lincoln Covered Bridge

over the Ottauquechee River.

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Built in 1877, it's one of the only known examples

of a wooden truss bridge in the United States.

A truss bridge is composed of a structure

of connected elements forming triangular units

and is an economical way of construction

as it uses materials very efficiently.

The Rockefellers also restored and added

to the original tavern of 1793,

which in itself was continually expanded

as tourist numbers grew.

The new Woodstock Inn is unsurprisingly

a good deal more luxurious

than the first tavern would have been.

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In the 1960s, this small village

called Plymouth Notch was made into a state park

along with around 1,000 hectares

of forest and farmland in the Green Mountains.

Apart from being an historic settlement,

it was also the birthplace, childhood home,

and burial place of the 30th president

of the United States, Calvin Coolidge.

His family had roots here stretching back centuries.

In fact, it was while he was visiting his parents

here in 1923 that he learned he'd become president.

The news arrived late one night by messenger

as the house had no telephone or electricity.

Coolidge went upstairs to dress, said a prayer,

and came down to greet the reporters

who had also assembled.

His father, a notary public,

administered the oath of office in the family's parlor

by the light of a kerosene lamp.

The now president then went back to bed.

He returned to Washington the next day

and was sworn in again to forestall any questions

about the authority of his father

to administer the presidential oath.

Plymouth Notch is a popular place to visit.

12 historic homes are open to the public.

It is now a National Historic Landmark.

Nestled in the mountains of Southern Vermont

is Grafton, one of New England's prettiest villages.

Many of its beautiful and historic buildings

have been restored by its residents,

so today it looks much as it did many decades ago.

The town was founded as Thomlinson

but the renaming rights were auctioned in 1791.

The highest bidder,

who reported offered $5 and a jug of rum,

changed the name to Grafton

after his hometown of Grafton, Massachusetts.

Possibly as a result of having celebrated a bit too much,

the money was never collected.

Cheese-making has long been part of Vermont life

and the non-profit-making Grafton Cheese Company

was founded in 1892 by dairy farmers

who wanted to make their surplus milk into cheese.

In the days before refrigeration

and an abundance of fresh milk,

cheese was a foodstuff that could be stored

for a much longer period of time.

Behind the factory is the Kidder Covered Bridge

and Grafton's last remaining one.

It was built in 1870 and crosses the Saxton River.

This large country house is simply known as Hildene

and was built in 1905 by Robert Todd Lincoln,

the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln

and the only one who survived into adulthood,

together with his wife, Mary.

The house is built in the Georgian Revival style

on a hundred meter promontory

close to the town of Manchester.

Hildene remained occupied

by descendants of the Lincoln family until 1975

when the penultimate one died here.

In 1978, a non-profit organization,

the Friends of Hildene,

was formed to purchase the property

and begin restoration of the house,

outbuildings, and gardens.

Today, there are programs for schools,

tours of the house, exhibitions,

and walking trails in the surrounding woods.

Our final stop is the town of Brattleboro

which lies on the Connecticut River

and the state border with New Hampshire.

But the reason we're here is to look at a house

just outside the town in the woods to the north,

and once home to the famous English author, Rudyard Kipling.

It was here that he wrote "The Jungle Book"

and worked on his "Just So Stories".

It was built in the 1980s and named Naulakha

after Naulakha Pavilion inside Lahore Fort in Pakistan.

Kipling himself described the building

and its construction in his autobiography:

In the summer of 1893,

there came out of Quebec Jean Pigeon

with nine other inhabitants

who put up a wooden shed for their own accommodation

in what seemed 20 minutes,

and then set to build us a house which we called Naulakha.

90 feet was the length of it and 30 the width

on a high foundation of solid mortared rocks

which gave us an airy and skunk-proof basement.

The rest was wood, shingled roof and sides,

with dull green hand-split shingles.

It was a house fit for a much-loved author

and a perfect place to end this journey.

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