March

March

March 2, 1839 

Mathematical prodigy Zerah Colburn died at his birthplace in Cabot at the age of thirty-four. Zerah amazed his family when he was five years old by adding and multiplying long numbers in his head. Zerah spent ten years touring France and England, exhibiting his remarkable ability.

March 3, 1936 

Voters on Town Meeting Day vote against building the Green Mountain Parkway, a highway to connect the peaks of the Green Mountains.

March 4, 1791

Vermont becomes the fourteenth state, the first to join the original thirteen.

The 14th State

March 7, 1935 

Amelia Earhart, who later became the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, speaks to the legislature on the future of the airplane.

March 10, 1949

The sugar maple became the Vermont state tree. The sugar maple produces sap, which is collected to create maple syrup.

March 11, 1888

Snow started falling over most of Vermont and continued for three days. By the end of the Great Blizzard of 1888, Bennington had 4 feet of snow! And many other towns had over 2 feet of snow. The high winds blew the snow into massive drifts which blocked railroad trains and closed down cities.

Blizzard of 1888

March 11, 1992

An ice jam caused the Winooski River to flood Montpelier. The water rose fast. Flooding lasted for 12 hours. The high water damaged many homes and businesses. The city closed for three days as people cleaned up.

March 15, 1801 

George Perkins Marsh, lawyer, congressman, ambassador, and language scholar, is born in Woodstock. Marsh observed the destructive washing away of topsoil by rain and guessed correctly that this was due to the cutting down of the state's forests. Many believe that his book Man and Nature (1864) started the conservation movement in the United States.

March 17, 1878 

Redfield Proctor, founder of the largest marble company in the world, became governor of Vermont.

March 18, 2020

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic forced all schools in Vermont to close by this date. Governor Phil Scott ordered that schools close to keep students and teachers safe. Most schools remained closed through the end of the school year.

March 23, 1961

The Morgan horse became the Vermont state animal. The Morgan horse is used for sport and work.

Morgan Horses

March 23, 1968

Vermont passed a law banning billboards. Many Vermonters thought these large advertising signs cluttered the countryside and blocked mountain views.

March 27, 1985

The Tunbridge soil series became the state soil. Tunbridge soil is found in all but one Vermont county. The soil is often found in forests and promotes healthy tree growth. When settlers first came to Vermont, much of the land was heavily forested. Farmers cleared many of the trees to create fields for growing crops.