Once upon a time in one of the farthest reaches of Strafford, a meetinghouse to rival the Strafford Town House once stood. It had seating for 200 and a gilded dome on its steeple. Anyone traveling a little more than a century ago along Brook Road in Strafford (Faye Brook Road in Sharon), could not have missed it. It was the Robinson Meetinghouse in what is now known as the Robinson District adjacent to the four corners of Strafford, Sharon, Tunbridge, and Royalton.

Eight generations of Robinsons have lived and farmed there. Willard Robinson, (5th Generation) expanded the farm’s acreage and operations and commissioned the construction of the famously photogenic “Round Barn,” which was completed in 1917. Recently, the Robinson District has been in the news. Donald Hall, a wealthy businessman from Utah, purchased nearly 1,500 acres in the 4-Corners vicinity of Royalton, Sharon, Tunbridge and Strafford and proposed the construction of a 20,000-person, gated community, to be called NewVistas. The proposed site for the community was chosen because of its proximity to Joseph Smith’s birthplace and memorial, just two miles from the Robinson Farm.

Vermont historian Howard Coffin tells the story of Vermont Women and the Civil War in their words -- from letters and diaries that describe life from 1861-1865 in the Green Mountain State.

Vermont’s remarkable Civil War battlefield record is well documented, but little is known of how Vermont women sustained the home front. With nearly 35,000 of the state’s able-bodied men at war, the monumental tasks of keeping more than 30,000 farms in operation became very much a female enterprise. And women took the place of men in factories and worked after hours making items needed by the soldiers.

This week in Strafford two events shined a light on our community and warmed the hearts of those present. On Sunday, June 4, there was a Celebration of the Life of longtime Newton School Principal Robert Murray, and on Tuesday, June 6, The Preservation Trust of Vermont held a day-long event in Strafford focusing on the importance of our rural communities. Both events were inspiring. The following two speeches give a bit of a sense of both days and a feel of how and why Strafford is so special to so many.

The first is by Joey Hawkins an educator and colleague of Mr. Murray's. The second is by Sonya Schumacher who went to the Newton School worked around the country and then brought her family back to Strafford.

At 11pm on December 31st, 1999, noted theologian and Strafford resident William Sloane Coffin Jr. inspired those attending a Millenium gathering at Town House with words of inspiration.