OT/Something Lost (in 2013) and Something Found

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:03 pm

The end of telegraphy in India in 2013:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortc ... sent-india

And the rediscovery of ancient roads and other things in Vermont:

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/ ... ource=SFFB

philip.marshall · **Posted:** Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:21 pm

Thank you for these two wonderful links.

The ancient roads of Vermont have long been a source of fascination for me. I've attempted to locate a few myself, but with nowhere near the success or dedication of Mr. Arseneault. As I once heard someone observe, there's a lost world out there in the New England woods!

-Philip Marshall

Al Stangenberger · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:59 pm **Posts:** 650

"The View from John Sanderson's Farm"
is a classic story of the history of Harvard Forest (Petersham, MA) which presents maps of the area's road network from colonial times to the present.

CREEPING DEATH · **Joined:** Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:22 pm **Posts:** 275

I wonder if this Vermont 'road law' applies to railroads as well?

CD

philip.marshall · **Posted:** Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:41 am

CREEPING DEATH wrote:

I wonder if this Vermont 'road law' applies to railroads as well?

CD

That's a good question. I'm not an attorney, but while all the discussion I've heard about ancient roads and Act 178 of 2006 concern local (town) roads and trails and their documentation by individual town governments, it sounds reasonable to me that state-chartered transportation corridors such as railroads, canals, or turnpikes would be of interest as well -- and Vermont like most states has its fair share of inactive or abandoned railroad ROWs, with all the controversies they usually entail.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation has a handy "Ancient Road Practicum" document available online that summarizes the process, which "includes accounting for highways that have been legally established over the 250 plus year history of Vermont’s towns, cities, villages, gores, and grant, starting with the reign of King George II, to the Republic of Vermont, and finally to the State of Vermont." That covers a lot of territory.

ftp://vtransmaps.vermont.gov/Maps/Publications/AncientRoads/AncientRoadPracticum.pdf

Is it possible that the State of Vermont is assuming that it already knows about state-chartered corridors, and so requires further documentation only for local town roads?

-Philip Marshall
(who is not a Vermonter but does have family in the Green Mountain State and has spent a fair amount of time there)