On Being a Vermonter and the Rise and Fall of the Holmes Farm 1822-1923

<p><strong><em>On Being a Vermonter</em></strong> is a case study of a Vermont farm that existed from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. As the Holmes Farm pioneered advanced orchard methods and made a distinctive contribution to the apple industry in Vermont the book makes an important contribution to the literature and history of Vermont apple orchards. In addition the farm was a leading breeder of trotters horses with a Morgan horse heritage. The book examines the end of the farm due to foreclosure in 1923 and the resulting diaspora of the family and its transformation in a single generation. The author is a direct descendant of the Holmes family which came to Vermont in the 1780s. In addition to reconstructing the history of the farm he examines what it means to be a Vermonter by building on the legacy of the farm's 101year history. </p>