Introduction

It's not easy living in Mont Vernon. The steep hillsides make travel difficult when the roads are icy, the farmland is strewn with rocks that must be removed before crops can be sown. It is muddy in the spring.

Yet people choose to live here, choose to raise their families here, choose to spend their time volunteering in the school and church; they choose to call this place home.

Mont Vernon is about place.

It is a place where residents can find peace, a quality of life, and a feeling of community that is all too lacking in larger towns. The town serves the needs of people who may work elsewhere, but who choose to come home, here, to a place where they can slow their pace, wave to farmers, hike, cross-country ski, ride horses, dirt-bikes or snowmobiles, and where they can watch the meteor showers of August without being blinded by lights blurring the night sky.

This is also a place where children become part of the community from birth, with the elementary school, library, general store, dentist office, music teachers, and other local businesses located within walking distance of the village center. Store clerks know them by name.

This is a place where even newcomers feel a part of history. By living in and working to preserve the older houses in town, people acquire roots in the community and begin to belong.

Mont Vernon is on top of a rocky hill, distinctly separate from its neighbors. The scenic views overlooking the surrounding valleys are universally valued by citizens as important features of the community. So are the farms. Productive agricultural land has not all been lost to development. Farmers raise cows, buffalo, horses, goats, chickens, vegetables, corn and hay. Mont Vernon residents have repeatedly voiced their enjoyment of sharing their town with livestock. During the 1999 Community Profile Event, residents described the town as being rural, and they emphasized the importance of conserving its rural characteristics. Prime agricultural land is an irreplaceable natural resource that must be aggressively protected in order to attract, support, and retain farmers.

Still, a community is not just land; it is also people. Mont Vernon’s citizens historically have worked together as neighbors and as a community. The continued interaction of residents on a personal level is critical to the bonding together of residents into a community. Perhaps above all else, the characteristics that bring people together must be preserved and strengthened, and new ways of facilitating the bonding together of Mont Vernon’s citizens into a coherent community, not just a cluster of houses, should be found.

A Brief History

The hill is not a mountain, but it constitutes enough of an altitude change that it is often several degrees cooler on top. In the winter one often drives out of the rain in Milford or Amherst up into the snow of Mont Vernon. On other mornings, the view from the sunny village is often out over a sea of clouds.

In the 18^th and early 19^th century Mont Vernon was primarily a farming town, as were all the surrounding towns. Trains ran from Boston through Amherst and Milford four or five miles away. The establishment of the 2^nd NH Turnpike (a.k.a. Francestown Turnpike) in 1802 connected Mont Vernon with the rail-served towns of Amherst and Milford. This proximity to the rail system gave the people of Mont Vernon access to goods and markets, but the five uphill miles prevented the town from becoming a commercial center.

Mont Vernon was a viable farming community, but with its steep rocky hillsides it was never comparable to towns with more gentle fields and less extreme weather. People who could choose where to live and chose to farm in Mont Vernon stayed because of an intangible quality of life they found in the uplands.

The elevation and rugged terrain made it a natural site for people to come and "summer." In the last half of the 19^th century, Mont Vernon capitalized on its rural location and easy access to become a place for people to visit and enjoy the scenery and land.

By the late 19^th century, Mont Vernon had become a popular resort town for people escaping the cities for long summer holidays. Several prosperous hotels catered to a significant summer population, and a number of summer homes were built.

The local, year-round, population was largely self sufficient and worked small farms or ran mills on the brooks.

Today Mont Vernon is primarily a residential community with a few small businesses concentrated primarily in the village center and several working farms scattered throughout town. Farming requires a delicate balance between access to transportation for getting goods to market, isolation from population centers so that large tracts of land are available and affordable, and the presence of a nearby support system of equipment supply and repair shops, feed stores, and financial institutions.

The most visible farms in Mont Vernon are cattle farms, both dairy and beef. For cattle farming to be most profitable, land for growing hay and corn to support the livestock should be only a "fifteen-minute tractor ride" away from the herd. The loss of these "satellite" farms to development which does not conserve the cropland pushes the farmers farther and farther from their farms, tipping the balance from being self-sufficient to being dependent on farm credit to purchase feed and hay and therefore making farming less viable.

Productive farmland is an irreplaceable natural resource highly valued by the Mont Vernon community, and it should be vigorously defended against loss to development.

Mont Vernon lost the tourist business when the private automobile made it possible for people to live in vacation locations all year long, but the coming of the car also created two distinct groups of residents. One group has lived and worked locally for generations out of choice. The other group of residents does not work locally but moved to town because of the characteristics that once made it a popular tourist destination. Both groups chose to live in Mont Vernon for its embracing of agricultural lifestyles, stunning setting and slow pace of life.

Personnel and material-intensive businesses are not suited to Mont Vernon because of the lack of public utilities. Home-based businesses dependant upon fast telecommunication and distributed workforces may be appropriate for the town and would be compatible with the character of the town.

Physical Character

Mont Vernon is marked by distinct gateways on each of the major roads, and each gateway plays a major role in defining the character of the town.

The following gateways represent a few of the valued, characteristically scenic locations identified by the townspeople as being critical to the physical nature of Mont Vernon. The town governing bodies should actively pursue all means to protect not just these gateways, but all of the officially "Designated Scenic Views" throughout the town. These locations are the visual clues residents use to identify themselves with the town. The town profile specifically mentions the value the townspeople place on the scenic character of Mont Vernon.

As travellers leave behind the flat landscape of Milford and move up the hill on Route 13, the road becomes less straight, less flat; it winds through woods bordered by stone walls, a sawmill and a large pond. The official town line is passed, easily unnoticed, while high up ahead are glimpses of hay fields on the south-facing hillside. The road then rises up a steep hill. Just before the intersections of Purgatory and Amherst Roads with Route 13, the light suddenly changes as the woods are left behind and are replaced by open fields. This change, from woods to fields, is the emotional gateway into Mont Vernon. On the right are the fields, pastures, apple trees and Holsteins of an active dairy farm. On the left is a clapboard house with a catslide roof and a large red barn situated at the base of a well-maintained hayfield.

On the way out of town by this route, the last vestige of Main Street is a painted wooden sign that reads, "Enjoy the View." Again, the light changes dramatically from the shadows of a tree-lined Main Street to the bright open fields along the steep hillside. The red barn against a background of woods easily catches the eye. Beyond it, the view is wide open with little in sight but the roofs of old farms, and the blanket of treetops visible below. The horizon is miles away.

This gateway to Mont Vernon, past grazing cows and open fields toward the cluster of the village atop the hill with 40-mile views in many directions typifies what has for generations been valued in the town: land and scenic beauty.

Another Gateway to Mont Vernon, increasingly used by commuters, is the approach toward Route 13 on Amherst Road. After passing modern houses along Old Mont Vernon Road, travellers cross the town line and the road becomes Amherst Road. Immediately it becomes narrower, with more curves and closely bordered stone walls. Just after a bend in the road, the stone wall ends and pastures begin. On the right, a stream cuts sharply through thick grasses just before the tidy Odds & Ends farmhouse looms into view. On the left, a pasture fence contains Holsteins in a field that stretches behind a lace-draped farmstand and large barn.

The narrow shaded road, the pasture, the stone walls, these herald a gateway to Mont Vernon and tell residents that they are home. This is their town.

From the north, the gateway to Mont Vernon can be approached via dirt roads winding around steep craggy Joe English Hill, on the straight old Turnpike road, or on Route 13. As town is approached from Route 13, travellers pass a beaver pond and the old landmark site of Archie’s garage before starting uphill into the village proper. The road passes in front of neat houses and the senior resident assisted care facility, giving travellers a view and reminder of all phases of life.

The intersection of Hutchinson Road and Old Wilton Road marks the westen gateway into town. Travellers from Milford passed the town line before rounding a bend and turning onto the officially-designated scenic road of Old Wilton Road, but the emotional sigh of "we're home," isn't heard until the Purgatory Falls horse farm is passed. This farm, which is bisected by the road, has a hayfield on the left and a pasture on the right.

There is in every gateway a strong sense of climbing to reach town, or of going down to a valley when leaving town. The hillsides, views, and distinctive scenic roads are visual clues that define for residents where they live, and give them the emotional sense of home.

The scenic roads and scenic views are critical to defining the distinctiveness of Mont Vernon and thus towards giving residents a sense of place. The stone walls and shaded roads hark back to a quieter, slower time. They may not be conducive to high speed commuting, but they should be consciously preserved wherever possible as they belong to the slow rural life that has attracted people to Mont Vernon for generations. Quiet scenic beauty with a breathtaking view just around the corner is the physical character of Mont Vernon that people treasure.

Mont Vernon is fortunate to have a village center containing all the elements of a whole community. Sidewalks and paths permit and encourage townspeople to walk to the store, library, post office, church, school, and town offices. The sidewalks hold the community to the human scale as opposed to the automobile scale, an important feature of Mont Vernon.

Complete communities are comprised of diverse age groups. Mont Vernon is particularly lucky to have both The Mont Vernon Inn, a small assisted care home, and the Village School located within the village center. Mont Vernon has a strong senior presence in town. The town governing bodies should remain vigilant in protecting senior citizens from being disenfranchised as a result of economic growth and rising demands for more and more services.

The town’s decision to keep the young school children in town ensures the children remain in town long enough to grow up and develop a sense of identity with the town. The town governing and planning bodies should keep the village safe for children walking to school or generally moving through town independently, including support and encouragement for a trail system, paths, bikeways and sidewalks.

The coherence and completeness of the village is not the result of uniformity of architectural style, but the result of the community’s focus on the people within it. Main Street houses are mostly 19th century vintage and were strongly influenced by the resort flavor of the town. The porches and the sidewalks along Main Street are the direct result of the town’s resort heritage and remind us that the town is for people. This is not an isolating impersonal village center. The town planning and governing bodies must continue to ensure the village remains the spiritual center of town, and does not become just a row of pretty houses you drive past going elsewhere.

Mont Vernon's steep hillsides are cut with narrow ravines and brooks dropping down into the Souhegan River valley to the south, and sloping towards the Piscataquog River to the north. The few remaining crop-producing farms are located primarily in the southerly parts of town on the south-facing slope.

Old farmhouses were built close to the road, freeing fields for productive cultivation. Today many of these old farmhouses remain, often with hay fields behind them. Many people keep horses for recreational purposes, riding on dirt roads and trails around town.

Stonewalls bound many roads as they wind next to brooks along the bottom of ravines, or through fields and woods. Old roads were planned along narrow and winding paths to conserve valuable fertile land. Trees planted a century or more ago still provide shade for the comfort of travelers.

These quiet, narrow, shady roads today still serve the traveler; people walking, jogging, bicycling, horseback riding, or just slowly driving all still enjoy the chance to travel through and around town on the quiet old scenic byways. The roads less traveled by autos are frequently used by townspeople for recreation and relaxation. In all seasons, people walking along the quiet roads are a common sight. Senior citizens, too, are frequently seen driving slowly down the old roads as these roads often give those of restricted mobility their best and only access to the quiet outdoors.

The demand for ever faster, bigger commuter conduits generally endangers small quiet roads. Our town is small, our roads are short; the time saved by driving faster on old roads is negligible, seconds not minutes. The town has a few officially designated scenic roads that should be vigorously protected. These roads add incalculably to the quality of life with their easy access to beautiful views, diverse habitats, and various recreational activities. The Community Profile makes it clear people value having opportunities for slow travel through town. Walking, biking, and horses are favorites alternative modes of transportation and people deserve to be safe when traveling by those methods. Planners should weigh carefully the wants of commuters so that channeling through-traffic through town does not interfere with residents’ peace and safety.

The People

The inhabitants of Mont Vernon have typically identified themselves as being members of the town community and have welcomed new residents into the community. This was true in the days of Mont Vernon being a tourist town; it is still true today. There is a camaraderie that comes from living "up on the hill."

The village with its sidewalks and front porches has helped keep the town on a personal scale. In spite of Route 13 running through the village, people are out and about in the community as people, not as cars. People often choose to walk to their destinations in town giving them the opportunity to interact with their neighbors and their town.

This is a town where residents cherish the idea of living in a small town where librarians, post office employees and store clerks know them by name. Police officers are friends, firemen are neighbors, neighbors wave and few people are anonymous.

The town has a number of town-wide social events all organized by community-minded volunteers who donate their time and talents to the town. As Mont Vernon grows, the importance of resident volunteer participation in town functions grows with it. The town works because citizens take an interest and responsibility for the quality of life in town.

Town planners need to consider the need for new residents to become socially integrated into the town and involved with town functions. Growth should be planned to ensure sub-divisions are not isolating and are phased to encourage new residents to become integrated into the whole town’s social fabric - not just with their equally new-to-town sub-division neighbors.

Many towns lose their sense of coherence as they grow because a lack of coordination between groups causes them to grow increasingly isolated and isolating. The town governors, planners, and the various volunteer groups should actively consider creating a position in the town for someone to manage communication and coordinate volunteer resources within the town.

The Value of Inconvenience

Inconvenience prevented Mont Vernon from becoming developed in the past. The land was too steep, too wet, too far, and too inconvenient. As neighboring towns reach build-out, the inconveniences that once made developers look elsewhere are now becoming economically negligible. But Mont Vernon's inconveniences have an intangible value. Convenience is not always better. Conveniences come with a social price and a so-called "improvement" - whether a paved road or a municipal water system - should be undertaken only with the consent of the whole town and only after careful consideration of both the economic and social cost.

Mont Vernon townspeople would rather put up with an inconvenience than raise their taxes, lose their individuality, lose their privacy, lose their beautiful surroundings, or lose their small town. The narrow, unlined, unpaved roads make drivers move slowly, but they are more beautiful than wide swaths of pavement, and the townspeople are, in their own stubborn way, proud of what they endure during the spring mud season. They prefer the inconvenience of going to the transfer station with their garbage every week, rather than pay for a truck to pick up the trash, partly because "the dump" is a place to run into neighbors, but also because in Mont Vernon, the people like doing things themselves.

They put up with the inconvenient hours of the town offices rather than pay for full-time administrators. They balk at bureaucratic control, but a good one-quarter of the population actively participates in government "by the people" by attending the annual town meeting.

In Mont Vernon, the people often choose the inconvenient and inefficient because it is better.

Conclusion

Ask the people what makes Mont Vernon special and the answer is "the place and the people." The place is unique; the way people relate is special.

Mont Vernon residents value the scenic qualities of their town. Critical physical factors at play in town are the scenic views that underscore its place on a hill, the presence of active farms, and the quiet by-ways (roads/tracks/trails) which permit and encourage human interaction within the town.

Residents’ identification with Mont Vernon as home is strong and has fostered an atmosphere of active volunteerism upon which the health of the community depends. Town planners, governors, and residents must be proactive in recognizing and protecting the elements that forge the coherence of individuals into a Town, and vigorous in identifying and developing new ways to strengthen those bonds, always remembering that faster and more convenient is not always the way to a better community.

Goals