On Being a Vermonter and the Rise and Fall of the Holmes Farm 1822-1923

By: David R. Holmes

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Synopsis: 17. On Being a Vermonter is a case study of a Vermont farm that existed from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. As the Holmes Farm pioneered advanced orchard methods and made a distinctive contribution to the apple industry in Vermont, the book makes an important contribution to the literature and history of Vermont apple orchards. In addition, the farm was a leading breeder of trotters, horses with a Morgan horse heritage. The book examines the end of the farm due to foreclosure in 1923 and the resulting diaspora of the family and its transformation in a single generation. The author is a direct descendant of the Holmes family, which came to Vermont in the 1780s. In addition to reconstructing the history of the farm, he examines what it means to be a Vermonter by building on the legacy of the farm's 101year history.