I’m looking for a particular town that I visited one time and have not been able to find again. Kind of like a “Tip Of My Tongue” post, but for Vermont towns.

Submitted by NightOnFuckMountain t3_ycg1u5 in vermont

I lived in Vermont for a very long time and every time I go back I’m still finding towns I’ve never seen before. Last time I lived there I had a job that took me all over the state, which was awesome. Went to all these cool little towns in the middle of nowhere.

This was a town where everything looked historic or old fashioned. I believe there was a cobbler,

and various shops that looked like they could have been straight out of the 1800s. The streets were lined with trees and every single telephone pole had an American flag year round. I believe there was one modern building and it was a Dollar Store connected to a supermarket. The whole town was on one main street that may have been a small highway, and the area was surrounded by mountains.

I know it’s not Stowe, Montpelier, Barre, anything in the Champlain Islands, or anything within 15 miles of Burlington. I also know it’s not in the Addison/Vergennes area because I’m very familiar with that area. I also know it’s somewhere north of Rutland (not in the same area, but Rutland was our furthest south territory so it couldn’t have been further than that). I don’t think it’s on Rt 7 or anywhere in that area because I’ve been up and down Rt 7 about a hundred times in the past 20 years. It’s also not Woodstock (too far south), but it had similar vibes to both Woodstock and South Hero. It was kind of like if Woodstock was less affluent.

Edit: Not 100% on the cobbler, but the whole town looked like I stepped into a time capsule, like driving through Amish country. The shops on the main street were all small businesses with people selling artisan items, the writing on shop signs and street signs was historic looking, and I was one of the only cars on the road. It would not have been out of place to see a horse drawn carriage.

I've seen similar towns in western North Carolina and Georgia, but it's not as common up north.

Edit 2: Adding a map. The red area was the entire territory of my job in Vermont (we also had territory in New York, but I am 100% positive this town was in Vermont). The purple area was where I'm pretty sure this town was located. I know it covers a lot of land, but I'm hoping this narrows it down just a bit.

Edit 3: Not sure if anyone's familiar with the area, but it looked a lot like Stockbridge, MA in the 90s, before Stockbridge had all the cul-de-sacs and apartment buildings. Closest I've seen so far is the very south end of Northfield, but it's not quite right.

Edit 4: After reviewing what everyone's sent me, I think it has to be Chester. I don't know why I would have been driving that far outside our territory, but it's the only town I've seen that matches anything close to what I'm remembering.

Thank you everyone!

https://preview.redd.it/y4nnk6llrsv91.jpg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a708be2b8e62ae28c75c8b0acbdd74ce7a82bf2e

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Romanovs_Penguin t1_itlx47b wrote

Dollar Tree locations in Vermont:

Alburgh

Arlington

Barre

Bennington

Berlin

Brattleboro

Castleton

Chester

Colchester

Enosburg Falls

Fair Haven

Fairfax

Fairlee

Hardwick

Island Pond

Jericho

Johnson

Lyndonville

Milton

Morrisville

Newport

North Troy

Northfield

Pittsford

Pownal

Randolph

Richford

Rutland

Shoreham

Springfield

Swanton

Vergennes

Williamstown

Windsor

My guess based on the clues you gave is Jericho / Jericho center or even Underhill. Second guess would be Hardwick. Though that's much further from the Stowe vibe. Johnson also checks most of the boxes, but again, not a strong Stowe vibe.

Edit: The cobbler should narrow it down a lot. There are so few. Certainly not Johnson or Hardwick. Likely not Jericho.

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Zealousideal_Bread83 t1_itm0wec wrote

It could also be dollar general, not dollar tree. Or even family dollar. "Dollar Store" could mean various things.

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itm3vad wrote

I get that. You are right. And Hardwick in set amongst hills But Hardwick has had none of anything like a dollar store in it’s downtown center in the last five years.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itm4w7i wrote

I don't remember what dollar store it was. It could have been any of the ones you mentioned, I just remember it looking out of place next to the rest of the town.

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itlyyqz wrote

Don’t think Hardwick’s Dollar Tree / supermarket is/was on Main Street down down, was it?

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itm84ub wrote

I'm pretty sure there was a cobbler but not 100%. I'm googling now, based on what I'm remembering.

It's not Hardwick, Hardwick looks significantly more modern than where I was. There were no gas stations or any kind of modern looking stores. I didn't see any modular homes or any kind of modern looking apartment buildings. The reason I'm remembering the dollar store is because it stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison with the rest of the town, it was the only place with a big, colorful modern sign.

I'll keep editing this post as I go down that list, but I'm avoiding the places I've lived in or traveled through regularly (pretty much the entire Northwest corner of the state, and the entirety of Rt 7).

Edit: Was also not Jericho/Underhill.

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itmhxy2 wrote

You were there just once? So the flags may have been out for Veterans Day and not necessarily year round?

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmjvtg wrote

Ah, you're right, forgot about Veterans day. I knew I was missing a patriotic holiday somewhere, and that would have been right around that time (I think?). The trees were still green but starting to turn. I know it was during or after October because that's when I got the driving privileges for the job.

So probably not November? I'm going to have to recheck that, I've been in Louisiana for too long, I'm forgetting how seasons work.

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Romanovs_Penguin t1_itn6g7s wrote

Fun game. You botched some of the details, especially regarding region. But I think we should make “guess the town” a regular feature in this sub.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itn9nu8 wrote

I still don’t think it was Chester because my job wouldn’t have sent me that far south, but it’s the only town I’ve seen in VT so far that looks like that.

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itlxg8r wrote

You say not Barre but there was Boisvert’s cobbler in Barre.

Now I’m curious.

Hope you find it and find it well preserved.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmfnhu wrote

I'm not 100% on the cobbler, but there were many artisan shops, and lots of huge trees growing out over the road in the middle of town. I don't think there were any buildings taller than the trees. It would not have been out of place to see a cobbler or blacksmith. I don't think it was Barre because I've been through Barre many times, but I'm checking anyway.

Sorry, not Barre.

Thank you!

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itmgryt wrote

So, tree-lined street, year-round flags on every telephone pole, historic shops, mountains, and a modern misfit building housing dollar-type store attached to a grocery store.

Thanks for the map.

Hmmm. Good puzzle.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmsa1y wrote

So my fiancee is helping me out here, and she's pulled up a few towns which are very similar looking to the town I'm remembering, just not in the right area.

It looks a lot like the 'main street' area of both Chester and Grafton, but both of those towns were outside the territory of where I was sent for work. It was more mountainous and further north, but as far as the actual town goes, Chester is the closest I've seen so far, similar architecture and building styles. I'll post the link so you have an idea of the vibe.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2641601,-72.5979413,3a,75y,298.73h,97.4t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sM3xvy3ig8l9sJ6g2sTF6yw!2e0!5s20180901T000000!7i13312!8i6656

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmj4wg wrote

I'm assuming the flags were year round because I wasn't there near Independence Day, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. The reason I'm so hung up on it is because the whole place was a weird experience and I'd like to go back to see if it was as weird as I'm remembering it. I was the only person there and the whole town was dead silent. Nothing looked abandoned or blighted, just didn't see any people. All I heard was the wind, and birds as I drove through. I saw a couple of people at the supermarket and there were a few cars parked at the dollar store, but nobody in the rest of the town.

Until I saw the dollar tree/grocery store I thought I may have accidentally driven onto the set of a movie. It would have been creepy if it wasn't so beautiful.

I am totally stumped.

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haruspex t1_itmuhmc wrote

Are you sure you're not just remembering the first episode of The Twilight Zone? 😂

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Snoo_1143 t1_itmp1bf wrote

Island pond maybe? They have a lot of older buildings in town and mostly only small businesses except for a dollar general. I can’t remember if the dollar general is on the same road as the shops though.

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pro_conser333 t1_itmu7p7 wrote

Enosburg Falls? I lived there when my family first moved to Vermont and it definitely had an Old Tymey feel to it.

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danvtemt t1_itmycd8 wrote

And it definitely has a dollar store connected to the supermarket just outside of town. Ditto on the single main street and light poles with flags. And little shops.

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pro_conser333 t1_itnb1b0 wrote

That’s what I was thinking. It sounds a lot like Enosburg. When I drove through there for the first time when my husband had to pick up a truck in Richford I thought it looked like a town frozen in time.

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BookSquid_87 t1_itmcqk5 wrote

Randolph? Northfield? These both have straight Main Streets and traditional retail centered in a small downtown. Nice homes, but not Woodstock level fancy.

Both have a supermarket/dollar store setup, just not necessarily in the downtown.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmdn4v wrote

I don't think it was Northfield because I was there recently and I'd have remembered that, but I'll look into it. I also think Randolph was too far south, but I'll check that out too.

Edit: Not Randolph, and it looked a lot like the very south end of Northfield but not the rest of Northfield. Northfield is still more industrial/modern than what I'm remembering.

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Short-Teach2082 t1_itnu39e wrote

Cobbler could be Simon the tanner in island pond.

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halleyscomet61 t1_itmfj43 wrote

Love this thread. Got a lot of places to check out on empty weekends.

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derpingandlurking t1_itmmlc3 wrote

I was thinking Chester VT fits your bill and has a dollar store

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmsxve wrote

Chester is the closest I've seen so far, but they never sent me that far south, and it was more of a mountainous area. As far as the actual town goes, Chester is almost a perfect match.

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bean_vt t1_itn86nk wrote

Chester definitely fits that description, except that the Dollar Store is standalone. There was a leathersmith a while back on "the Green." The flags all line Main Street. There's also the Stone Village of old stone houses. Almost any way you come into Chester, you'd pass through ski towns, so definitely surrounded by mountains.

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derpingandlurking t1_itmt49k wrote

Downtown Cabot kinda matched the vibe you described but no dollar store just a general store

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Walnut2001 t1_itn7xdj wrote

Honestly sounds like Chester to me, but that’s farther south than you said

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PeppermintPig t1_itncvon wrote

I stayed in Chester for a time and initially your description reminded me of how it felt to me, but you say it was further north... Are you sure it wasn't though? Dorset maybe?

If it's north of Rutland you have at least 30 towns to narrow down. Good luck.

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itnfkck wrote

More than 30, it’s not directly north of Rutland, it’s just that Rutland was our furthest south facility.

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PeppermintPig t1_itng20w wrote

Definitely south of Vergennes then?

Let's narrow it down then.. Rochester? Has a small main strip, it's not on Rt 7.

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andrews301xrd t1_itnfl1a wrote

Was it isolated or near other towns? Was there a noticeable river? Any falls, covered bridges? Close to mountains or in a valley? Town green with a gazebo?

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_itly7bp wrote

You say not within 15 min of Burlington, so, likely not, but there was a well known cobbler in Williston: Onion River Cobbler.

Can you describe anything else about the town? On a curve? On a straight away? A river? A bridge? A pond or lake? Mostly brick? Mostly white clapboard? Clapboard but not white?

What time period are your memories from?

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itm0hkb wrote

Honestly that memory feels like a fever dream at this point. It would have been late October/early November of 2018.

It wasn’t Williston, I worked in Williston for three years. Most of the areas I say “it wasn’t here” is because I either lived there or worked there and am familiar with the area, whereas the town I’m thinking of, I only was there that one time.

The main st was a long straight road surrounded by mountains. I don’t remember details of houses, just that I felt like I had stepped into a time capsule.

I don’t remember any bodies of water, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.

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KustyTheKlown t1_itmnh6y wrote

sounds like something along 100 between killington and warren. rochester maybe?

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seijio t1_itm4bx7 wrote

Sounds a little like Cambridge? But I don't think they have a cobbler or Dollar Store.

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YPG-Got-Raqqa t1_itn0c4z wrote

I feel like Bristol VT could be it.

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Deep_Significance496 t1_itobc71 wrote

Oo this is fun! I want to add some towns I haven’t seen on the list even if they might fall a bit outside of your parameters: Reading, Brownsville (but sounds like they are too far south), South Royalton, Barnard, Brookfield, Craftsbury?

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eah-renee t1_itobfd4 wrote

Thus kinda sounds like Wolcott, minus the dollar tree.

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Some-Permit-2445 t1_itoff62 wrote

Castleton had a dollar tree (which is now closed, dollar general has the market now) and a historic Cobblers shop in the historic district of town. The historic district has many 1800s era buildings (I did a study on the Buell Block building which was the old jail) lining main street. The old highway brought you through town before 4 was built, not sure how long ago you are talking. I believe Castleton meets most of your marks, and I know it pretty well if you have any questions as I lived there for 18 years.

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Some-Permit-2445 t1_itog89e wrote

Also there is a decent amish population nearby (I have friends that know some personally) and I have seen a few buggy’s ahaha. Poultney also meets a lot of your marks but it is too far south, definitely time capsule there. Poultney and Castleton have similar looks in my opinion though, so I assume there is many similar towns in Vermont.

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rivunel t1_itphdd5 wrote

It's not Wallingford? I know it's out of the range but it sounds like wallingford.

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mountainofclay t1_itpv8xk wrote

Could have been Peacham. The most authentic 1800 looking town I’ve seen in Vermont is Guildhall. Virtually no businesses there though.

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TheMobyDicks t1_itq7vy3 wrote

Cool that so many people are helping you remember. Kudos to you and all of them.

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Twombls t1_itmeur4 wrote

Salem or Moriah Ny? Sounds like a ton of towns in ny. They all do that flag thing

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pro_conser333 t1_itmulma wrote

That flag thing

You mean being patriotic and flying our country’s flag in our country?

EDIT: it’s hilarious to be downvoted in America for supporting American flags on poles. You people are gross

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Romanovs_Penguin t1_itmng58 wrote

Approximately when were you there last?

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NightOnFuckMountain OP t1_itmofwf wrote

I was there exactly one time, in Fall of 2018. The leaves were starting to turn but weren't quite in full fall foliage mode yet. It looked like a less populated version of Stockbridge, MA.

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Ciderinsider86 t1_itn5c47 wrote

Castleton fits the bill. Cobbler and all

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Ciderinsider86 t1_itn7763 wrote

Do you remember a classic dine on the main drag, or a college nearby?

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Some-Permit-2445 t1_itofuo6 wrote

Only thing is he said no body of water he can remember and Bomoseen is one of the biggest attractions nearby. I agree though it definitely fits as I spent a lot of time in Castleton and Fair Haven.

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Kancercellkaneki t1_itnh26o wrote

What your describing sounds like brownington

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deadowl t1_itnrjwj wrote

Big trees yea, road lined with shops I'm not aware of there?

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TillPsychological351 t1_itnq7bb wrote

It's not Cabot, is it? But I don't think they've ever had a dollar store, or a supermarket.

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FreckleWest t1_itnvani wrote

Do you remember any billboards that were in the area, easy way to find.......nm...

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Outrageous-Outside61 t1_ito48ls wrote

Sounds like Chester, but I feel like you’d mention the stone houses if it was?

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jojobeef t1_itr4na5 wrote

Was it Derby Line? I just moved to Derby center and I know it's only one road from Derby Line (which has adorable old houses and probably flags since it's at the border) and there's a dollar store in Derby center. Also maybe downtown Newport, but I feel like you would remember seeing Lake Memphremagog.

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