News Release

Where Our Four Towns Meet - Announcing New Publication

Date: February 9, 2007

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and The Conservation Fund are pleased announce the availability of a new publication Where Our Four Towns Meet…The Prosper Valley of Barnard, Bridgewater, Pomfret, and Woodstock: A Place “Too Important to be Left to Chance.” The 40-page color publication celebrates the people, landscape and heritage of the Prosper Valley—from the highlands near Barnard Village to the lowlands of the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock.

The publication explores the qualities that people value most in the Valley in an effort to stimulate a broader four-town conversation about its future. “As neighbors of Prosper Valley the National Park Service believes that its agricultural heritage deserves greater recognition, respect and attention given the role that the Valley’s farms play in maintaining the corridor’s pastoral character, open lands and wildlife habitat,” said park superintendent Rolf Diamant.

Where Our Four Towns Meet reflects the contributions of many residents of Prosper Valley who shared their stories and thoughts. The publication profiles the stories of the people associated with familiar landmarks such as Fox Valley Farm and Meadow View Farm; enterprises such as the Mount Tom Farmers Market and On the Edge Farm Stand; and local community initiatives including Barnard’s “Keeping Track” and the Chateauguay-No Town (CNT) Conservation Project.

Historically, places within the Valley have been named for natural features, human settlement, and declarations of hope: The Gulf, Willow Vale, and English Mills, which became known as Prosper. The old “Gulf Road,” today’s Route 12, weaves through the center of the Valley, tying these places together and linking them to the surrounding settlements of Barnard, South Pomfret, Woodstock, and North Bridgewater. In ecological and geographic terms, this landscape encompasses the watershed of Gulf Stream, which connects North Bridgewater Brook and Barnard Brook and links the area with the larger watersheds of the Ottauquechee and Connecticut Rivers. This landscape also provides an important corridor for wildlife, connecting the diverse habitats of the Green Mountains and the Chateauguay-No Town area to the west and north with the Connecticut River valley to the east.

The publication was funded by the National Park Service and a grant from Laurance Spellman Rockefeller Fund. The Conservation Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s most important landscapes and waterways. Through its partnership-driven approach, the Fund works across all 50 states to preserve each region's unique natural resources, cultural heritage and historic places.