Downtown West Fairlee Traditional Geocache

This is a PnG in the heart of town.  There is parking near the cache.  Permission has been granted for placement.   Bring a pen. Room only for small items.

Welcome to downtown West Fairlee.  This is a community of less than 800 people. yet 150 years ago, the population was considerably more.   A farming community until the mid 1850s, it became a population mecca when Ely Copper Mine became active.  With the jobs came a greater economic prosperity.  Once upon a time " (t)he village had a hotel, three general stores, a furniture store, jewelry store, two carriage shops, a blacksmith shop, saw mill, shingle mill, livery stable, millinery store, and an undertaking establishment.  At one time there were three doctors and one dentist in the village."*

But those days are gone, leaving what you see for commerce, and a lot of cellar holes.  The Ely mine is now a superfund site, and it isn't the only biohazard in the vicinity. Nearby is Bean Hall, the town hall building named for a 19th c. town clerk.  It was closed to the public in 2008, and its future is still controversial.   This is what happens when the money train leaves.   The ones left behind, sometimes generations later, are left to do the clean up, without the resources needed to do so.  

Still it is a pleasant community, where you can enjoy the scenery, a church supper, a summer fair, or just a cold drink from the nearby store.

* www.westfairleevt.com