Wed. July 13

Wednesday found us heading towards the Calvin Coolidge Birthplace, via the Vermont Marble Museum. Marble and Granite have always been associated in my mind together, and with Vermont. Those of you who are back from prior years know that Liz is our geologist, and I learned that Marble is formed differently than granite. First of all marble is limestone that has been compressed over time with two of the big forces on earth, heat and pressure. Granite, as I’ll learn next week is basically lava. Marble has incredibly compressive strength, as you can tell, by enlarging the picture of the entrance to the Museum. The very large pieces of Marble are being held in place by the little pieces in between. It is very durable, but cuts and polishes well, and is a natural material for important buildings, because certain veins of marble have high degrees of luminosity, sparkle, color or other characteristics that suit architects well. Marble can be cut and shaped easily as evidenced by all of the sculpture we’ve seen, like the owl pictured.

The Vermont Marble museum is in the former plant of the Vermont Marble Co, in Proctor. Proctor was named after it’s founder, Who was appointed as the receiver of the company after a number of previous owners failed. Proctor was a frugal man who put all of the company’s earnings back into the company, and he quickly acquired most of the other marble companies in the US. This is quite an accomplishment when we discovered that marble is found in most of the 50 states, An architect changing his mind from a pink shade of white marble to a green shade, may in reality change the location of the marble quarry by thousands of miles. Proctor, by owning them all, could provide a “full service” marble company.

Almost everyone knows that the marble used in the tomb of the unknown soldier is white marble. We learned that the marble was actually quarried by Proctors company in Colorado, shipped by rail to Proctors workshop in VT then shipped to Washington for final work.

Much of the town is built out of buildings made of marble including bridges, most commercial, government buildings, and even the firehouse! ( I don’t know what happened to the second floor!).

Vermont Marble Co. is still operating in VT, all though they are no longer the nation’s largest company, as they were in the beginning of this century.

From there we travelled to a Vermont State historical site, the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. Liz’s dad was born a couple of years into Coolidge’s term and was named Calvin Coolidge Miller in his honor. He, like the President was a quiet, simple man who loved the “hills” he was born in.

Coolidge’s family had lived in Plymouth NH for generations when he was born in the back of the country store his dad operated, pictured here. We received almost a personal tour, moving from there to the house where he grew up, across the street. Coolidge went to college in Massachusetts, became a lawyer, then the governor of Mass, before becoming Harding’s VP.

Coolidge was back home in the mountains visiting his parents when the general store receive the 2AM phone call that President Harding had died in CA. Coolidge needed to be sworn in, and, his father being a notary public assumed the honor. He swore his son in as President at 2:30 in the morning- then everybody went back to bed.

The next morning Plymouth became famous, and people came for mile to see where the President was from. The little restaurant across the street actually bought 3 pre-fab cabins, and set them up to rent to the tourists.

Coolidge’s son John, became a successful investment banker. Knowing his Dad stood for a type of old fashioned hard work ethic, integrity, and uncomplicated ways, that was disappearing ,bought up the town as buildings became available. Virtually all of the pieces on display were Coolidge's, and were given by his son. He then gave it all to the state of Vermont for this site, probably 8-10 buildings.

Liz and I were both left wondering what has happened to our political leadership today. We are miles away from the citizen leaders our founders and their successors contemplated. It would be nice to return.

This last photo outside the Coolidge store, is a remembrance from my childhood.When I was small I had a handmade, (by my uncle) Gulf Gas station, and a box full of toy cars. It had all of the detailed decals, including their signature which I loved to repeat. "Good Gulf Gasoline! This one's for a reader in FL, my Dad!