Plymouth Notch, Vermont

Plymouth Notch, Vermont. Plymouth Notch is an unincorporated village within the town of Plymouth in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is renowned as the birthplace and boyhood home of the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, and is preserved as the Plymouth Notch Historic District. The village remains a remarkably intact example of a late 19th and early 20th-century rural community, offering a direct connection to the life and legacy of Calvin Coolidge.

History

The area was originally part of a land grant from King George III and was settled in the late 18th century, with the town of Plymouth being chartered in 1761. The village grew around agriculture and small-scale industry, including a cheese factory. Its most pivotal historical moment occurred in the early morning hours of August 3, 1923, when Calvin Coolidge, then Vice President of the United States, was sworn in as President by his father, John Calvin Coolidge Sr., a notary public, in the family homestead following the death of President Warren G. Harding. This event, known as the "Oath of Office at Plymouth Notch," brought the quiet village to national prominence. The subsequent preservation of the site began in earnest during Coolidge's presidency and was later formalized by the state of Vermont.

Geography

Plymouth Notch is situated in the Green Mountains region of central Vermont, approximately 12 miles east of Rutland and 20 miles west of Woodstock. The village is located along Vermont Route 100A, nestled in a valley or "notch" between hills. The landscape is characterized by rolling pastures, forested hills, and traditional stone walls, typical of the New England countryside. The nearby Black River and several smaller streams have historically supported the local agricultural economy. The area experiences a humid continental climate, with cold, snowy winters and warm summers.

Demographics

As an unincorporated village, Plymouth Notch does not have separate demographic data from the wider town of Plymouth. According to the United States Census Bureau, the entire town of Plymouth had a population of 641 as of the 2020 United States Census. The population of the historic village itself is very small, consisting primarily of a few residents, museum staff, and preservationists. The demographic character of the surrounding region is predominantly white, with an economy historically based on agriculture, forestry, and, increasingly, tourism and recreation tied to sites like the Plymouth Notch Historic District and the Calvin Coolidge State Forest.

Notable people

The most famous individual associated with Plymouth Notch is unquestionably Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, who was born, raised, and sworn into office there. His father, John Calvin Coolidge Sr., a farmer, storekeeper, and local official, administered the presidential oath. Coolidge's mother, Victoria Coolidge, and his wife, Grace Coolidge, are also integral figures in the site's history. Other notable residents include John Coolidge, the President's son, who was instrumental in preserving the historic district, and Carrie Brown Coolidge, Calvin Coolidge's stepmother.

Points of interest

The central point of interest is the Plymouth Notch Historic District, a National Historic Landmark encompassing the entire village core. Key sites within it include the Calvin Coolidge Homestead, where he was sworn in; the Coolidge Birthplace; the Plymouth Cheese Factory, which Coolidge's father helped establish and has been revived; the Union Christian Church; and the Plymouth Notch Cemetery, where the Coolidge family is interred. The district is administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation as the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site. Nearby attractions include the Calvin Coolidge State Forest, offering hiking and camping, and the President Calvin Coolidge Museum and Education Center, which provides exhibits on his life and presidency.

Category:Villages in Windsor County, Vermont Category:National Historic Landmarks in Vermont Category:Calvin Coolidge