If there is ever a place that captures small-town Vermont, Strafford is it. Nestled off of Interstate 89 in rural Orange County, Strafford is a sleepy village with a late 18th-century town house presiding on a hill over the town green.
Strafford has a population of just over 1,000 residents. The town was chartered in 1761 and, according to Vermont.com, it was named after the Earl of Strafford, William Wentworth. It was also one of thirteen towns in the state to be isolated by the flooding from Hurricane Irene in 2011, says Vermont.com.
Perhaps most prominent about Strafford is that it is the hometown of Grammy-nominated musical artist, Noah Kahan. In fact, the village was featured in the music video for Kahan’s single, Stick Season, most notably with the town house being in the background at one point.
Other noteworthy individuals from Strafford include Edmund “Tad” Coffin, a saddle maker and Olympic equestrian; William Sloane Coffin, an activist and clergyman, and Justin Smith Morrill.
Morrill’s homestead, which sits on about 6 acres of land and serves as a key representation of Gothic architecture, can be found on the aptly-named Justin Morrill Memorial Highway.
