Eclectic Brattleboro

For the past 10 days we have driven to, through, and around the small town of Brattleboro, Vermont. During those trips we have made several observations. Brattleboro has many faces. At first glance, the town doesn’t really strike me has having a distinct character.

Coffee at Common Loaf Bakery

It is an old town, but doesn’t retain that “vintage colonial” look. Sure, there are old buildings, but most have been renovated rather than restored. Some of the older structures were restored, remodeled, re-something or other so many years ago that they now look rundown—derelict as opposed to stately in need of paint. However, the building next door may present itself as it did a 100 years ago with the brass door handles polished to a high gloss. Among the old are the more modern from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Apparently, there were no zoning restrictions so the downtown area is a real hodge-podge of architectures.

And the people are as diverse as the town they live in. They come in every shape, color (some multicolored from the tattoo shop), and size and it almost seems like from every decade since the 50s. There does seem to be more than usual the number who favor the 60s. Based on the number of coffee shops in town, these folks like to drink coffee, probably iced with lots of raw sugar. They are metropolitan in their dining, as well. There are Indian, Thai and Chinese restaurants along side grills serving standard American and a hotdog stand on the corner. There are bagel shops and delis, but if you want a Big Mac you gotta get out of downtown. The town is not very big so there are a lot of people living very near the downtown area and they walk to the food co-op to stock up on their organic groceries. We have been in there a couple times and it is really nice with a lot of prepared foods in the deli area. As with most groceries of this type, there are a lot of bulk foods—everything from flours to nuts to candies and even oils and honey.

This morning we made what will probably be our last trip into downtown Brattleboro. We wanted another loaf of the fantastic bread from the Common Loaf Bakery. Their breads are made from spelt which they grow on their farm. We had never heard of such a thing, but were very impressed with the taste. While there we got a cup of coffee and sat outside to soak up this fine Vermont day. From our perch we could see another coffee shop and two used bookstores. What a great place. The bakery owner decided we needed to sample a just made cookie. I can’t say it came right out of the oven because it was cream-filled—2 oatmeal cookies with a maple (that’d be Vermont maple) cream filling. I wonder how many miles I’m going to have to walk to get rid of that.

We think Brattleboro is a fun town and it seems to fit perfectly with the rest of Vermont.

Brattleboro, Vermont

We acquainted ourselves with the town of Brattleboro this afternoon. The walking tour consisted of a walk along the city’s Main Street from the Connecticut River to the old town green—a distance of about 8 blocks. That short tour was packed with no less than 25 historical buildings and churches.

Connecticut River

It was a walking tour that bombarded our senses. We started our walk on the Connecticut River bridge. Our perspective there was of water and trees. You could almost forget there was a town at all. Within a few yards of the bridge we crossed the railroad tracks. Up the hill a few yards past the tracks is Main Street. In an earlier age, the merchants along Main Street received their goods from suppliers by way of the river and rail.

Main Street from Connecticut River Bridge

On Main Street, we felt we were alternately in the late 1800s and the 1960s. The historical buildings had been restored at some time in the past, but long enough ago for them to again look worn out. Many buildings are no longer what they used to be. One of the most interesting was the Methodist Church which is now the Hotel Pharmacy. The church was built in 1880 in the Victorian Gothic style. The building is now occupied by the Hotel Pharmacy. There was never a hotel here, but the pharmacy, which used to be in the Brooks Hotel down the street, kept it’s name when it relocated to the church. It was in this area that many shop windows displayed clothing reminiscent of the 1960. We saw several peace signs, flowing clothing, and lots of flower stencils.

Main Street

The Old Fire Station is now McNeil’s Pub. In the photo, the cupola on top was where the fire alarm was housed. The ground floor window was the doorway and I can just imagine horses pulling a fire wagon out of there. The high school until the early 1950s is now the Municipal Building and the All Souls Unitarian Church is now simply “the Church”--a performing arts theater.

Old Fire Station

All Souls Unitarian Church

About midway along Main Street, is a small park. About 10 years ago a welcome mural was painted on the side of the building showing the historic town of Brattleboro. However, it is so weathered now that you can hardly see it.

This may not be Brattleboro’s claim to fame, but we found it just one of those things we are glad we didn’t miss. The current Post Office was built in 1916, but in 1847 Brattleboro was the site of the first gummed postage stamp issued in the US. Most of these stamps were destroyed when the federal government started printing postage.

Hotel Pharmacy

Stained Glass window inside the Hotel Pharmacy

Gene’s favorite part along our walk was the Latchis Hotel and theater. Built in 1936, the Hotel is still a hotel and the Theater is still a theater. We wanted to see the Art Deco style inside so we asked the desk clerk at the hotel if we could look around. The theater was closed, but he showed us a door to get into the theater lobby. The lights were turned off so I didn’t even try for a picture, but it was truly special, especially what appeared to be the original ticket stub thingy (I don’t know what it’s official name is). We had stepped right back into the 1930s.

The old high school is now the municipal center

There is much more of Brattleboro to be explored. We’ll see what else we can find on another day.