You’ll find Concord Corner nestled in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where it once thrived as an 18th-century commercial hub. The settlement peaked with 1,600 residents in 1880, featuring stores, blacksmiths, and Vermont’s first normal school. Today, nature has reclaimed the abandoned streets and structures, while the ruins of a Cold War-era Air Force station crown East Mountain. Between mysterious military tales and pioneer legends, this ghost town‘s secrets await your discovery.
Key Takeaways
- Concord Corners was once a thriving 18th-century Vermont community with essential services before declining into a ghost town by the mid-1800s.
- The town reached its peak population of 1,600 residents in 1880 before economic shifts led to widespread abandonment.
- Historic structures like the Judge David Hibbard Homestead and Concord Town House remain as preserved remnants of the former settlement.
- The abandoned North Concord Air Force Station, which closed in 1963, adds a Cold War military element to the ghost town’s history.
- Nature has reclaimed much of the original town, with wildlife now inhabiting the abandoned streets and former commercial buildings.
The Rise and Fall of a Vermont Settlement
As Vermont’s early settlements expanded northward in the late 18th century, Concord Corners emerged as a promising hub of commerce and community life.
You’d have found all the essentials of pioneer life there: stores, a blacksmith, tavern, and even professional services from lawyers and physicians. The settlement’s strategic hilltop location attracted early settlers who recognized the area’s potential. These settlers faced great adversity, including bear attacks on their children.
Despite the pioneer struggles, Concord Corners flourished initially, boasting the First Congregational Church and Vermont’s first normal school for teacher training. Local residents often reported seeing water ghosts near the tavern springs, similar to those documented in other historic New England towns.
But economic shifts would alter its destiny. By 1838, when John D. Chase built his house in West Concord, the town’s commercial center had begun drifting westward.
Fires, changing transportation patterns, and the evolution of regional commerce eventually transformed this once-bustling settlement into a ghost town.
Early Pioneer Life at Concord Corners
When Joseph Ball arrived in Concord Corners in 1788, he found untamed wilderness along the Connecticut River meadows where he’d establish the settlement’s first homestead.
You’d find pioneer challenges everywhere you looked – from the wet meadows to the infertile plains that discouraged many would-be settlers.
Ball’s determination set the tone for agricultural adaptation in the region. He built the area’s first gristmill on Hall’s Brook by 1794, while Daniel Gregory constructed the first frame house nearby in 1789.
The region later became home to Samuel Read Hall’s pioneering educational institution in 1823.
As more pioneers arrived from southern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, they developed essential infrastructure for survival. Like their counterparts in other settlements, they paid local Indians with wampum and blankets for land rights.
They’d clear fields for crops, establish new pastures for livestock, and work together to overcome the frontier’s harsh demands, forming a tight-knit community of resilient settlers.
From Bustling Hub to Silent Streets
The bustling prosperity that defined Concord Corners’ early years peaked in 1880, with a thriving population of 1,600 residents supporting local businesses, farms, and lumber operations.
Despite the community’s resilience, you’d have witnessed a steady decline in subsequent decades as economic adaptation proved challenging. Similar to how soil erosion devastated Glastenbury’s economy, Concord Corner’s industries struggled to remain viable. Like the town of Monson Center in the 1770s, the village gradually emptied as residents abandoned their homesteads. Local stores, blacksmith shops, and taverns shuttered their doors, while schools and churches gradually closed or relocated.
The transformation from hub to ghost town reflects a familiar pattern in Vermont’s history, where shifting economic forces led residents to disperse, leaving only memories of a once-thriving community.
You’ll now find nature reclaiming what was once a vibrant village center, with forest and wildlife expanding over abandoned streets and structures.
Historical Buildings and Lost Architecture
Standing as a proof of Concord Corner’s architectural heritage, Judge David Hibbard’s Federal-style homestead anchors the town’s remaining historical structures with its imposing 10-foot entrance surround and classical Doric cornices.
You’ll notice the architectural evolution through its 1835 ell addition and distinctive salmon-colored paint remnants that preserve the original aesthetics.
While the 1839 Concord Town House maintains its civic significance on the National Register, you won’t find many of the town’s original commercial buildings.
The once-bustling trading posts, Jehial Webb’s Inn, and agricultural facilities have largely vanished, much like the many mineral spring resorts that once dotted Vermont’s landscape.
Military structures haven’t fared better – the Cold War-era Air Force station lies in ruins, and early military posts have disappeared entirely, leaving only scattered remnants of Concord Corner’s former prominence. The North Conquered Air Force Station was constructed in 1955 but abandoned just eight years later.
Tales From the Abandoned Air Force Station
If you’re exploring the abandoned North Concord Air Force Station, you’ll find the mysterious 1961 UFO sighting still captures local intrigue, with witnesses reporting an unidentified object hovering above East Mountain for 18 minutes.
The incident occurred mere hours before the famous Betty and Barney Hill alleged abduction just across the border in New Hampshire, fueling decades of speculation about the station’s true purpose.
The base’s isolation and sudden closure in 1963 have spawned countless tales among Northeast Kingdom locals, who whisper about unexplained lights and strange occurrences continuing long after the military’s departure.
The facility’s 174 military personnel once maintained a self-contained community complete with a store, bowling alley, theater, and mess hall while monitoring for potential Soviet threats.
After its closure, the site was purchased by Ed Sawyer in 1965, who used some of the buildings for his woodworking projects while living on the premises.
Military Desertion Mystery
During the tense years of the Cold War, North Concord Air Force Station’s remote outpost on East Mountain harbored dark mysteries of military desertion and unexplained disappearances.
You’ll find that between 1956 and 1963, the base’s 174 personnel endured harsh isolation in quonset huts while maintaining critical radar operations against potential Soviet threats.
Several desertion theories emerged as soldiers vanished without explanation, their fates obscured by classified investigations and military silence.
The psychological toll of round-the-clock vigilance, combined with the wilderness isolation and constant nuclear threat, pushed many to their mental limits.
Though the base offered amenities like a theater and bowling alley, these comforts couldn’t fully counter the oppressive atmosphere that led some to flee – or perhaps meet a darker fate in Vermont’s unforgiving mountains.
Unexplained Sightings Above
While the North Concord Air Force Station‘s primary mission focused on detecting Soviet threats, its radar systems captured far more mysterious phenomena in Vermont’s northeastern sky.
In 1961, radar operators documented an 18-minute UFO encounter, coinciding with the famous Barney and Betty Hill abduction case just across the New Hampshire border.
The station’s high-altitude position atop East Mountain made it a hotspot for aerial phenomena:
- Unexplained lights frequently danced above the 3,438-foot ridge
- Radar equipment detected unidentified objects that defied conventional aircraft patterns
- Multiple servicemen reported strange sightings during the late 1950s and early 1960s
- Local residents around East Haven and Lyndonville continue sharing accounts of mysterious objects near the abandoned base
These encounters have transformed the former military outpost into a legendary site for unexplained activity.
Natural Landscape and Wildlife Encounters
The rugged landscape of Concord Corner unfolds across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom region, where elevations between 800 and 1,100 feet create a diverse tapestry of mixed hardwood forests, rolling meadows, and pristine waterways.
Shadow Lake stretches a mile long, while the Moose River winds through natural habitats teeming with life.
Nature weaves an intricate tapestry along the mile-long Shadow Lake and the meandering Moose River, where wildlife finds sanctuary.
You’ll find white-tailed deer browsing at forest edges, and black bears foraging through remote woodlands.
Wildlife interactions peak during seasonal changes – spring brings breeding amphibians to wetlands, while autumn sees bears preparing for hibernation.
The area’s limited development has preserved its wild character, with beavers engineering wetlands near Shadow Lake and migratory birds using the region as an essential stopover.
Red foxes, raccoons, and porcupines thrive in these protected spaces year-round.
Local Legends and Mysterious Happenings
You’ll find Concord’s most intriguing tales centered around the abandoned North Concord Air Force Station, where locals report unexplained phenomena and UFO sightings near the Cold War-era radar base.
The station’s mysterious past intertwines with earlier settler stories, including the legendary account of Rebecca Morse battling a bear to save a child’s life in the town’s early days.
These stories, from military secrets to frontier bravery, showcase how Concord’s remote setting has long been a backdrop for both documented incidents and unexplained mysteries.
UFO Radar Base Stories
Mysterious happenings at Concord Corner’s North Concord Radar Station have captivated locals and paranormal enthusiasts since its closure in 1963.
Most significantly, radar operators tracked a UFO for 18 minutes on September 19, 1961, just hours before the famous Betty and Barney Hill abduction occurred 40 miles away in New Hampshire.
The base’s strategic position atop a 3,438-foot ridgeline made it ideal for documenting radar anomalies and unexplained phenomena.
You’ll find these fascinating incidents in the base’s history:
- A vital data collection site for Project Blue Book, the Air Force’s official UFO investigation
- At least two additional UFO encounters documented during operational years
- Strange apparitions and sounds reported in the abandoned structures
- Local claims of ongoing extraterrestrial activity in the surrounding forest
Bear Attack Folklore
While paranormal stories from the radar base draw modern visitors, Concord Corner’s earliest folklore centered on more earthbound threats – particularly black bears that menaced settlers throughout the late 1700s and early 1800s.
The most famous bear attack stories originated from actual encounters, like when Rebecca Morse killed a bear that had attacked her child after breaking free from captivity.
You’ll find these tales woven deeply into local identity, with dramatic accounts of settlers defending their families using farm tools and improvised weapons.
The folklore origins blend historical fact with generational storytelling, often featuring bears displaying uncanny intelligence or mysterious behavior.
Some locals still tell of bears vanishing from perfectly set traps or appearing as shadowy figures near abandoned homesteads at dusk, adding to Concord Corner’s ghostly reputation.
Military Legacy in the Northeast Kingdom
As the earliest settlers established themselves in the Northeast Kingdom, military organization became a cornerstone of community life, beginning with Simon Willard’s training of local freemen for defense.
You’ll find that military influence deeply shaped regional identity, from Concord’s founding through the Revolutionary War and beyond.
The Northeast Kingdom’s martial legacy lives on through:
- Local militias that evolved into minutemen units, led by commanders like John Buttrick and Samuel Merriman
- Critical participation in battles from the Indian Wars through the Revolution, including Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill
- Settlement patterns influenced by military veterans spreading throughout Vermont
- Cold War presence through North Concord Air Force Station near East Mountain Summit
This military heritage continues to echo through place names and local landmarks, connecting you to the region’s fierce independent spirit.
Preservation Efforts and Historical Significance
Beyond its military roots, Concord Corner stands as a symbol of Vermont’s architectural and cultural heritage, with the Judge David Hibbard Homestead anchoring 160 acres of preserved Federal-style grandeur.
You’ll find historical preservation efforts focused on maintaining authentic structures from the town’s 1780 charter, though remote location and sparse population create ongoing challenges. The community’s involvement stems back to 1794, when town meetings first shaped local governance and infrastructure planning.
While fire hazards and natural deterioration threaten these historic treasures, you can still explore buildings showcasing Federal architectural details and Greek Doric elements.
Local volunteers, state organizations, and municipal officials work together to protect Concord’s legacy, balancing rural character preservation with limited Northeast Kingdom resources.
Photography Guide to Vermont’s Ghost Town
When you’re photographing Concord Corner, you’ll find the most compelling shots around Shadow Lake and the weathered barns that dot the rural landscape.
You’ll need a sturdy tripod and both wide-angle and telephoto lenses to capture everything from sweeping vistas to architectural details of the remaining structures.
Vermont’s winter months offer pristine snow-covered scenes with fewer visitors, while autumn’s overcast days create the perfect moody atmosphere for ghost town photography.
Best Photography Spots
Whether you’re an urban explorer or landscape photographer, Concord Corner’s abandoned sites offer compelling shots that capture Vermont’s forgotten past. The town’s historical remnants create a perfect canvas for documenting abandoned beauty across diverse locations.
- Judge David Hibbard Homestead showcases pristine Federal architecture with detailed trim and Doric columns – ideal for capturing early American craftsmanship.
- North Concord Air Force Station’s decaying Cold War structures present urban exploration opportunities, especially during late afternoon when sunlight highlights textured graffiti.
- Original Concord Corners business district offers stone foundations and ruins perfect for moody morning shots with fog rolling in from the Connecticut River.
- East Concord and Royalston Corner districts blend weathered wooden structures with forest backdrops, particularly stunning during golden hour or after fresh snowfall.
Equipment For Ghost Towns
Photographing Vermont’s ghost towns requires specialized equipment that can withstand challenging environments while capturing their haunting beauty.
You’ll need a high-quality DSLR or mirrorless camera with versatile lenses – wide-angle for sweeping landscapes and primes for detailed shots of weathered artifacts. Essential gear includes a sturdy tripod, headlamps for dark interiors, and protective filters for your lenses.
Don’t forget to pack a thorough cleaning kit for equipment maintenance, as Concord Corner’s dusty environment can affect camera settings and performance. Local shops like LeZot in Burlington can help with specialized gear rentals.
Bring plenty of spare batteries and memory cards, plus weather-resistant covers for unexpected New England weather changes. A remote shutter release and ND filters will help you capture those moody long exposures that ghost towns are perfect for.
Weather And Timing Tips
To capture Concord Corner’s haunting essence, successful photography hinges on strategic timing and weather conditions. The ghost town’s weather patterns offer unique opportunities throughout the year, from snow-draped winter landscapes to misty autumn mornings. You’ll find the best results by aligning your timing strategies with nature’s schedule.
- Visit during winter’s off-season for pristine snow scenes and fewer tourists, but monitor forecasts to avoid severe storms.
- Shoot during overcast days or golden hours (early morning/late afternoon) for ideal lighting and mood.
- Plan mid-week excursions to minimize interference from other photographers.
- Time your visits with seasonal changes – catch frost patterns in early winter or dramatic foliage in fall.
Remember to factor in daylight hours for safe navigation and always respect private property restrictions when planning your ghost town expedition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happened to the Original Town Records From Concord Corners?
You won’t find most original records from those early days – fires, poor preservation, and the town center’s relocation to West Concord led to their loss or deterioration over historical time.
Are There Any Remaining Descendants of First Settlers Still Living Nearby?
Want to trace first settler lineages? You’ll find descendant research challenging due to limited records, though some family connections may exist nearby – but without clear documentation linking modern residents to original families.
What Was the Average Property Value in Concord Corners During Its Peak?
You won’t find exact property values from Concord Corners’ peak, though property trends suggest higher values near commercial areas, with prices likely ranging $1-$5 per acre before economic decline.
Did Any Famous Historical Figures Ever Visit or Stay in Concord Corners?
Like a blank page in history, you won’t find any famous visitors in the records. Despite its local historical significance, there’s no documented evidence of nationally recognized figures staying in this settlement.
When Was the Last Known Permanent Resident to Leave Concord Corners?
You won’t find a definitive date for the last resident’s departure in town history records – the community gradually emptied through the mid-1900s as families moved away seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
References
- https://www.vermonter.com/concord-vermont/
- https://www.nvda.net/town_files/Concord_Town Plan_Concord Municipal Plan.pdf
- https://www.crjc.org/heritage/V20-65.htm
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usr0VsxeRxI
- https://obscurevermont.com/tag/northeast-kingdom/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a151zgrUUF8
- https://concordlibrary.org/uploads/scollect/img/
- https://www.vtliving.com/towns/concord/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord
- http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vtwindha/vhg1/0966_concord.htm
