Dorset, Vermont
Across the street, the Dorset Field Club, one of the nation’s oldest golf clubs, dates from 1886. The post office, library and historical society museum are all within walking distance to each other. The town also boasts a number of interesting trails for hiking and mountain biking, and is home to the Dorset Quarry, a spring-fed swimming hole that draws summer visitors and locals alike to enjoy its pristine waters.
Town offices are located in East Dorset, on the other side of Mount Aeolus along the Route 7 corridor. Nestled along the western confines of the Green Mountain National Forest, it provides plenty of spots for hiking and fishing in the headwaters of Otter Creek. Emerald Lake State Park offers camping, swimming and canoe rentals. A berry farm and an apple orchard both offer pick-your-own opportunities in season. The Vermont Summer Festival, a top equestrian competition, takes over the Harold Beebe Farm for six weeks each summer; spectators are welcome. East Dorset is also the site of the Wilson House, the birthplace of Bill Wilson and Alcoholics Anonymous.
History
Dorset hosted the signing of the Dorset Accord at Cephas Kent’s Tavern in 1776, when members of 35 towns met to establish the free and independent republic which later became the state of Vermont. The nation’s first commercial marble quarry was opened in Dorset in 1785, and for over a century, marble was harvested from the flanks of Dorset Mountain and Mount Aeolus to be used for headstones, lintels and hearths, and later, in the construction of some of the nation’s most important homes and structures. Huge blocks of the marble were transported down the mountains by ox and sledge to the valley mills until 1902, and the arrival of the Manchester, Dorset and Granville Railroad – known to the locals as the Mud, Dirt and Gravel line. By the time the marble industry peaked in the late 1800s, Dorset boasted a thriving business community that included sheep and dairy farms, lumber and grist mills, cheese factories, iron foundries and the manufacture of stoneware by Fenton Pottery. City folks came to stay to escape the summer heat, and artists came to paint its storied landscape.
Education
Taconic & Green Regional School District
Pre-K to Grade 6: The Dorset School brsu.org
Grades 7 to 8: Choice of Manchester Elementary, Dorset or Flood Brook Schools brsu.org
Grades 9 to 12: Full choice (state average tuition paid for any private/independent school) Area high schools include Burr & Burton Academy, Manchester, Long Trail School, Dorset and others
Local Attractions
Dorset Marble Quarry Swimming Hole
Emerald Lake State Park
Dorset Hiking Trails
Dorset Historical Society Museum
Dorset Village Library
Dorset Farmers Market
Local Businesses
Wildwood Berry Farm
Mad Tom Orchard
Dorset Union Store
HN Williams
The Dorset Inn
Barrows House
Flower Brook Pottery
Dorset Bakery & European-style Café
JK Adams
Dorset Field Club
Three Farms Farm Store
Someday Farm
Government
Phone/Internet/Television
Houses of Worship
The United Church of Dorset and East Rupert
East Dorset Congregational Church
Nearest Medical Facilities
SVMC Northshire, Manchester
Southern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington
Proximity
Dorset is a 10-minute drive to Manchester; 40 minutes to Bennington and one hour to Saratoga Springs area in New York State. The major metropolitan areas of New York, Boston and Montreal are reachable in about 4 hours.
Public Transportation
Airports: Rutland and Burlington VT and Albany NY
Train Stations: Rutland VT, Whitehall and Albany NY