Certainly one activity that took place decades ago sets this historic site apart from many others. Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as President in his boyhood home, by his father. The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site is centered on the family homestead.
Coolidge grew up in the area of Plymouth Notch, the actual location of the family home (near the larger community of Ludlow). It was here that Coolidge learned of the death of President Warren Harding and was sworn in by his father, a local notary public.
The family home has been preserved and maintained just as it was that night in 1923. Local residents and community leaders are proud that the village of Plymouth Notch is largely unchanged as well. It is a perfect setting for one of the most meticulously preserved Presidential sites in the United States. Coolidge was buried in the town cemetery.
Among the structures of interest here are the Coolidge family home, the amazingly unchanged cheese factory, one-room schoolhouse and a general store. Many of the structures contain original furnishings, a fact that opens the eyes of many first-time visitors. The post office, Wilder Restaurant, church and barns are also on the itinerary for a visit to Plymouth Notch.
Plymouth Notch is considered a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The village is owned and operated by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The organization's office is open year round on weekdays. Most visits to this historic location begin at the Calvin Coolidge Visitor Center, constructed by the State of Vermont in 1972.
The site is open from late May to mid-October. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $2 for children 6 to 14. Family passes are $20. Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more. (802) 672-3773.
