Home

New Accessible Trail To Open At Historic Site

Mount Independence Trail Will Open Vistas To Mobility Challenged

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 28, 2007

Contact: Elsa Gilbertson
Regional Historic Site Administrator, (802) 759-2412
Elsa.Gilbertson at state.vt.us

ORWELL, Vt. - Visitors with wheelchairs or parents with strollers who want to enjoy one of Vermont's scenic Revolutionary War historical sites will now have a much easier time.

On Sunday, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation will unveil a new 1.6-mile trail at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell designed to meet national standards for outdoor trails that are accessible to the handicapped.

"We are proud to offer to the public this new way to experience Mount Independence," says John Dumville, Historic Sites Operations Chief for the state. "The Baldwin Trail means that people who might have been unable to access this site will now have the opportunity."

Named for Jeduthan Baldwin, a chief engineer at Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga in 1776 and 1777, the new trail offers visitors a first look at scenic vistas and Revolutionary war sites not accessible from the trails it is set to replace.

The trail, made of packed crushed stone, better protects archaeological resources and rare and endangered species; prevents erosion; and provides a better route for visitors to enjoy this significant historic site, with gentle grades designed to meet handicapped accessible standards for outdoor trails.

The trail at the National Historic Landmark will be dedicated by Deborah Lisi-Baker, executive director of the Vermont Center For Independent Living.

"July is the month we celebrate both American Independence and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Lisi-Baker. "How fitting that we also celebrate this accessible trail at Mount Independence this month."

The roughly $300,000 trail was made possible by National Park Service funding secured by former U.S. Senator James Jeffords and an Enhancement Grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

"The state of Vermont has been a leader in advancing many of the ideals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Senator Jeffords was and is a champion of the ADA," said Lisi-Baker. "Thanks to Senator Jeffords and the State of Vermont Vermonters and visitors with disabilities can now enjoy the beauty and heritage of this site, as can parents of young children."

The afternoon's events will feature performances by a re-enactment group, the Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife and Drum Corps; guided tours of the new trail; and the Vermont-based roots band Atlantic Crossing performing the world premiere of their new ballad, "Mount Independence," sponsored in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In addition there will be viewings of, "Guns over the Champlain Valley," a19-minute video program produced by Art Donahue of Boston Channel 5.

Visitors will get a preview of the interpretive signage which will be installed in the coming weeks at important parts of the trail. The signs were funded through a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, and the Mount Independence Coalition.

This event, sponsored by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Mount Independence Coalition, is free and open to the public, with festivities beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Regular admission is $5.00 for adults; children under 15 are admitted free. The site is located near the end of Mount Independence Road, which is six miles west of the intersections of Vermont Routes 73 and 22A in Orwell, Vermont. Call 802-948-2000 for more information.

For more information about the State-Owned Historic Sites, contact John Dumville, 802-828-3051, john.dumville@state.vt.us. Visit the sites online at www.HistoricVermont.org.

The Vermont State Historic Sites - History Where it Happened

Read more at the dedication page at the HistoricVermont.org Web site.