But wait! The Vermont Constitution House is not too far away. We had NO idea what to imagine, but it sounded historical and vaguely interesting, so we decided to go there.
In my mind it would be a kindof boring place where we could stare at the constitution for a while and then move on with the satisfaction of having increased our exposure to history.
Well, I was totally wrong. It was way interesting, it was a house full of old fashioned furnishings and we had a super nice guide leading us around and telling us all about the Vermont constitution.
Did you know that Vermont wasn't part of the original 13 colonies?
That the first article of the VT constitution was to abolish slavery?
That men could vote after living in Vermont for one year, they didn't need to own land, like in other states. (of course women still couldn't vote, but we can't be too greedy, right?)
That Vermont paid for public education for all its youngsters?
That Vermont was the first state to manufacture guns with interchangeable parts?
That the Constitution was signed in a tavern?
While a huge thunder storm was going on? Makes for a great story, eh?
We found out that our town and nearby New Hampshire towns used to be part of Vermont. Cool, that means Sylvia was born under a Vermont maple tree after all ^^
The constitution house showed a bicycle totally made of iron. Including the wheels. Who needs tires anyway? Our guide called it a bone shaker. Seems an apt name if you would ride it on Vermont's dirt roads. And somehow I suspect there wouldn't have been much asphalt yet back then :D
We were the very last visitors of the season, so if y'all want to visit there too you have to wait till next year. We sure can recommend it!
The visit also made me more aware about how many historical treasures like that we have in Vermont and New Hampshire that we haven't visited yet. Lots of ideas for day trips!
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