Bellows Falls

Overview

Bellows Falls is a village of 3,000, 30 minutes north of Brattleboro along the Connecticut River. It was the location of the first bridge across that long river, one of the first canals in America (to get boats past the falls) and the first commercial plant in the world making paper from wood pulp rather than linen. Having fallen into something of a commercial slump in the latter half of the 20th century, it is largely a town of well-kept old Victorian homes little damaged by the styles of suburban and retail development that have rendered most of America a wasteland. It has recently revived itself by becoming something of a center for art and folk/alternative music, and literary center. Amtrak stops downtown (from where an excursion train runs to Chester - a more touristy Victorian town), and Interstate 91 passes close by, but out of sight.

History