1896 Map of Strafford

About this map

Industrial and agricultural life in late nineteenth-century Vermont centers on the copper-bearing hills of Strafford and Vershire. The landscape is dominated by the Copper Mine near Copperfield, reflecting a period when this region was a significant producer of ore. Small manufacturing clusters and rural hamlets like Mill Village, Old City, and Rices Mills are scattered along the numerous brooks that feed the larger river systems. In the southwest corner, the Central Vermont R.R. follows the path of the White River through Sharon, providing a vital transportation link for the timber and mineral wealth of the interior. The map captures the dense network of upland farms and hill-country settlements, such as North Tunbridge and West Fairlee, before the reforestation of the twentieth century altered the visibility of these historic homestead sites and mountain roads.