iscover how to “read” old forested farmscapes and agricultural architecture to trace 300 years of land use history in Vermont. Stone walls, cellar holes, old roads, and other mysteries “lost” in the woods reveal stories of the families who shaped the landscape as we see it today. Explore a variety of historic landscapes and learn how to recognize the decisions made a hundred years ago and how they’re still visible today. Municipal land records hold a wealth of underutilized primary source information all about our own backyards. Participants embark on a guided tour through the different resources housed in our town halls, and other public resources. These documents can help inform the “why” and the “how” of the patterns visible on the landscape.

Course Goals & Objectives

• Learn about large patterns of European settlement and how they affected the present-day landscape.
• Recognize human patterns on the landscape to peel back layers of prior land use.
• Interpret differences in stone wall building techniques, and the types of land use they define/outline.
• Learn the types of resources available to aid research into the history of prior occupants and their roles within their communities.

Samantha Ford has more than a decade of experience researching the history of old landscapes in Vermont and Wyoming. In Vermont, Sam has almost two decades of experience working as an Assistant Town Clerk and Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics, where her love of old records was first discovered. She graduated with her MSc. in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont in 2013. After graduation Sam headed west to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she worked as the Director of Historical Research and Outreach at the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. A staff training for local wildlife guides launched a career in interpreting history for self-identified “non-historians.” Sam has lived and worked in Grand Teton National Park at the historic White Grass Ranch, and currently advises the Teton County Historic Preservation Board. Sam prefers to learn and teach outside, replacing the book stacks of her youth with hardwood forests. She's happiest when others are inspired to share their own personal history with her during walks in the woods. She recently completed the Historic Resource Survey of Boyce Hill for the Town of Fayston.

Physical Requirements

Participants must be able to walk 2-3 miles over the course of each day, sometimes off trail over uneven and potentially muddy terrain. Participants should be comfortable outside in potentially cold, rainy, and/or snowy conditions for long periods of time. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about mobility and/or other accessibility needs.

• Sermons in Stone: The Stone Walls of New England and New York by Susan Allport
• Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England's Stone Walls by Robert Thorson
• The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls by Kevin Gardner
• Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings by Thomas Visser