Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site (Blog Hike #158)

Trail: East Meadow Trail

Hike Location: Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site

Geographic Location: Plymouth, VT (43.53527, -72.72075)

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: August 2004

Overview: An easy trail through the meadows at the base of East Mountain.

Site Information: https://historicsites.vermont.gov/calvin-coolidge

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=131810
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Take I-89 to US 4 (exit 1).  Exit and go west on US 4.  Take US 4 west to SR 100A and turn left on SR 100A.  Take SR 100A south 6 miles to the town of Plymouth, home of the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.  Turn right to enter the site and park in the only parking lot.

The hike: The hills of central Vermont abound with history.  It was on this site that, on July 4, 1872, the only American President to be born on Independence Day was born in a small rural cabin.  Coolidge lived most of his early life here, and his parents never moved from the Coolidge homestead now on display on these premises.  It was in this building where, in 1923, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30^th President of the United States.  Coolidge would return here after his final term in 1928 and even build an addition to the Coolidge homestead; this addition has since been removed.

In 1972, the state of Vermont built the current Visitor’s Center on the site to commemorate Coolidge’s birth.  This building not only makes the site more accessible to the public, but also houses a museum and gift shop.  Since that time, buildings have been restored and added to the historic site one-by-one to create the village that you can walk through today.  Take some time to experience the self-guided walking tour that takes you to all of the buildings on the site and see where Coolidge spent his formative years.

While you can see plenty of American history by taking the walking tour, to see the land in the more natural way the Coolidge may have seen it, you will have to depart from the village tour into the natural areas of the site.  East of SR 100A lies a section of the site called the East Meadow, an area that remains undeveloped and similar to the way it appeared 100 years ago.  The East Meadow Trail makes a loop around this area, allowing for good wildlife viewing opportunities and views of the meadow from every angle.

Calvin Coolidge homestead

            From the Visitor’s Center, turn right after exiting the front door and look for a wooden box that contains some brochures about the trail.  The trail heads downhill and crosses the road.  Just to the right of the trail crossing, a concrete tube runs under the road that looks like a drainage pipe.  Actually, this underpass was used to move cattle across the road without obstructing traffic.  This passage was once open to hikers, but weeds have grown up to block either end.

Cattle tunnel under SR 100A

            The trail forks shortly after crossing the road to form the loop.  This description continues straight and uses the route going left as the return route.  Moving counter-clockwise, the trail crosses the first of two bridges, this one called the Upper Bridge because water in this meadow drains left to the north.  A famous photo of President Coolidge casting his fishing line into the brook was taken at this site.  Unfortunately, fishing is no longer permitted at this point.

The trail curves right and heads slightly uphill.  All the way the trail passes through meadow, so the trail itself can be a bit difficult to see at times.  Fortunately, the trail is marked with wooden stakes painted white on the top, so if you should ever not be sure of the trail under your feet, just walk toward the next stake.

At 0.4 miles, the trail makes a wide 180-degree turn to the left and begins heading north along the opposite side of the meadow.  The trail here follows right along the base of 2224-foot East Mountain which rises 900 feet above you to the right.  This mountain is wooded now, but in Coolidge’s time, the mountain had been clear cut to supply logs for nearby lumber mills.  This is one occasion where you will be happy to not see exactly what Coolidge would have seen.

Meadow meets the base of East Mountain

            The trail heads gently downhill, curving left.  At 0.8 mile, arrive at Lower Bridge.  Upon my visit, this bridge had been washed out in a flood, so I had to retrace my steps back along the East Meadow Trail to finish the hike.  If the bridge has been rebuilt, cross the bridge and turn left, closing the loop at 0.9 miles.  A right turn and uphill walk back across the road will return you to the Visitor Center and complete the hike.