​"Historic and cultural nooks and crannies abound in St. Johnsbury. Main Street features impressive Victorian homes, churches, and the St. Johnsbury Academy campus."
— Boston.com

St. Johnsbury, Vermont is located in N'dakinna, the ancestral homeland of the Western Abenaki people, who have lived here for thousands of years.

In 1787, Jonathan Arnold, a settler from Rhode Island, built a house located at what is now the north end of Main Street (the location of Arnold Park). In 1790, St. Johnsbury was officially organized. Colonel Ethan Allen suggested the name "St. John" as a tribute to Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, the French Consul, but De Crevecoeur proposed the unique name "St. Johnsbury."
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Today, there is still no other town, village, or city called St. Johnsbury in the world! 

Historical information about St. Johnsbury provided courtesy of the St. Johnsbury History and Heritage Center and the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe.

Legacy of the Fairbanks Family​​

​Thaddeus Fairbanks patented the platform scale and established the E & T Fairbanks Scale Company in 1830 with his brothers Erastus and Joseph. The international success of the Fairbanks Scale Co. was central to the development of St. Johnsbury as a manufacturing community and creative hub. Members of the Fairbanks family founded institutions in town that carry on this legacy of innovation and excellence.

St. Johnsbury Academy

Erastus Fairbanks founded St. Johnsbury Academy in 1842. The academy is an independent, private school that serves as a high school option for local students. Its comprehensive curriculum includes college preparation as well as vocational training. One-quarter of its 1,000 students board at the school and come from around the United States and the world. Fun fact: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge attended St. Johnsbury Academy.​

St. Johnsbury Academy Website

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

Erastus's son, Horace Fairbanks, founded the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum in 1871, a public library  and art gallery with a full calendar of public events. Today, the building is a National Historic Landmark. The gallery retains most of its original collection of American and European artists with emphasis on Hudson River School works. A featured work is Albert Bierstadt's monumental 1867 painting "Domes of the Yosemite."​

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Website

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

In 1891, another of Erastus's sons, Franklin Fairbanks, founded the Fairbanks Museum, based on collections in his "cabinet of curiosities". Displays include animals and artifacts from around the world. The museum is home to the only public planetarium in Vermont, a native butterfly house, and the "Eye On the Sky" meteorologists, heard daily on Vermont Public Radio. Fun fact: The museum holds the Guinness World Record for the Largest Astronomy Lesson in the World.

Fairbanks Museum Website

Rails & Trails

Starting in 1850, railroads became a major factor in St. Johnsbury's growth and industry. At one time, four rail lines merged here, and some of the tracks are intact and still used for freight, as well as for occasional tourist excursions. The handsome late-nineteenth-century brick railway station has been preserved and is currently the town's Welcome Center and municipal offices. 
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​The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail supports four-season recreational enjoyment with a new trailhead in downtown St. Johnsbury. When it is completed in 2023, the trail will be the longest rail trail in Vermont.

Rail Trail Map

Architecture

The thriving business community in the late 1800s resulted in the many magnificent homes and churches in St. Johnsbury. The area's notable architect of the period, Lambert Packard, designed many of the Victorian era buildings in town. A descriptive walking tour of Main Street details the diversity of architectural styles in St. J and can be obtained from the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center or the St. Johnsbury History and Heritage Center. ​

Walking Tour PDF

Maple Center of the World

St. Johnsbury makes claim to the title the "Maple Center of the World." Here's why: Helen Gray and Ethel McLaren began perfecting maple confections on their family farm over 100 years ago, packaging the unique taste of New England’s distinctive “sugar” through their company Maple Grove Candies. Their success grew to become Maple Grove Farms of Vermont, which is headquartered in St. Johnsbury. Today, its factory adjoining the Maple Museum remains the largest packer of maple syrup products in the U.S. The annual Kingdom Maple Festival in St. Johnsbury celebrates this history of sweet ingenuity.

Maple Museum Website

Creativity Community

Historically and today, St. Johnsbury is home to a vibrant creative community. ​Catamount Arts, the regional box-office, performance center, gallery, and cinema, is a year-round hub with classes, productions, and public art events. Dog Mountain, home of the Dog Chapel and Stephen Huneck Gallery, is a truly unique showcase of local creative vision. Elsewhere around town, public art exhibits and cooperative galleries like the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild are part of the lively arts & culture scene in St. Johnsbury in every season.

St. Johnsbury Arts & Culture