Vermont is a state that is often defined by its unique, mountainous geography and by the people who work and live here. It is the Green Mountain State, after all.

Ours is a land of mountains and valleys and the rivers, lakes, forests and communities in between. It is also land of long trails and fascinating history. And one of the newest trails in Vermont shares all of these qualities: geology, history, and the people of Vermont.

The Marble Trail
The Vermont Marble Trail is a driving tour along the geological marble corridor running the length of western Vermont. Marble is one of the Vermont’s official state rocks (along with granite and slate) and has been used in countless ways here in Vermont.

Outside of Vermont, you’ll find our marble in all 50 states, as well as around the world in such places as London, Taiwan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia just to name a few. Vermont marble was also used in the construction of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. Senate Office Buildings all in Washington, D.C.

The new Vermont trail brings visitors along an historic, artistic, and cultural tour of the towns and villages where marble was quarried, manufactured, and utilized for so many years. From quarries where the rocks are unearthed  to epic marble landmarks to the stone-carving artists themselves, this tour is all-encompassing.

Highlights
Highlights from the trail, which includes more than 120 stops (or places of interest) include:

>Robert Frost’s grave site in Bennington and the simple marble slab marking the poet’s final resting place which reads “I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.”

>Wilson Castle in Proctor. The façade of the brick and marble castle is dominated by nineteen open arches and a towering turret, parapet and balcony.

>Marble Works District in Middlebury. Constructed in the 1800s of limestone and marble, the walls of some of the buildings measure twenty four to thirty inches thick!

> Middlebury College Library in Middlebury. Completed in 2004, the expansion of the college library was constructed using white marble in it’s impressive façade.

> Ethan Allen’s Grave in Burlington. The graves that surround the monument to the infamous leader of the Green Mountain Boys, a citizen militia who aimed to protect what is now Vermont, are made of granite and marble.

> Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. The floor of the statehouse features a checkerboard design of Vermont marble, with the white marble from Danby and the black marble from Isle La Motte (some of which contain the fossils that Isle La Motte is famous for).

In addition, there are many more local city sidewalks, federal buildings, town halls, museums, churches, theaters and more along the trail with an interesting connection to Vermont marble.

A Vermont Marble Trail guide with detailed listings of each area of interest and a listing of special events regarding Vermont marble can be found at the Dimensions of Marble web site, http://dimensionsofmarble.org/.