Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lesbian Marriage Teddy Bears ((photo: Vermont Teddy Bear Company)
It took 346 years, but the Vermont towns of St. George (population: 698) and Shelburne (population: 6,944) finally have an established border between them. The neighboring communities, chartered in 1763, were given overlapping maps during colonial times, making it impossible for local leaders to determine where St. George ended and Shelburne began…until recently.
But it was not modern technology that helped solve the problem. Officials turned to original survey maps, historical records, even stone walls still standing from the 18th century to delineate one town from the other. Until settling the border issue, some local residents found themselves paying taxes in Shelburne while seeking building permits in St. George. Shelburne is best known outside Vermont for its teddy bear factory.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Vermont Towns Finally Settle Land Dispute From The 1760s (by Wilson Ring, Associated Press)
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