Vermont is known for its charming and scenic towns, but some of them have quite peculiar names that might raise an eyebrow or two. One such town is Barre, pronounced as if it were spelled “Barry.” This unusual pronunciation is often a source of confusion for outsiders unfamiliar with the area. Another town with an odd name is Calais, which, despite its French spelling, is pronounced with an anglicized “Ca-liss” rather than the French way.
Then there's Vershire, a town whose name might make you wonder if it's a county or a state rather than a municipality. And who could forget Peacham, a name that seems more befitting of a fruit than a town? These quirky town names add to the unique charm of Vermont, a state that prides itself on its distinct character and rich history.
Here is a list of unusual Vermont town names and origins that you might enjoy
- Adamant (too much like the cartoon character “Atom Ant”)
- Beanville
- Beartown (Yogi and Boo-Boo would love it!)
- Blissville (tucked away in Castleton, named after the Bliss family)
- Bread Loaf
- Brimstone Corners (a hell of a place. One near Vershire, the other in Pawlet)
- Butternut Bend
- Calais (the French version sounds nice but in Vermont, it's officially pronounced as “callous”)
- Checkerberry Village (a post office opened in this town near Milton, but postal authorities decided that “Milton Center” sounded better. After the post office closed, locals reverted back to calling it Checkerberry)
- Dummerston Center
- Egypt
- Gaysville
- Hardscrabble Corner
- Hortonia (near Orwell, VT)
- Jamaica
- Jerusalem
- Kansas
- Killington
- Lazy Lady Island ( a piece of land at St Albans Bay)
- Lost Nation (possibly referred to an Indian tribe. Tied to a controversy over naming the town Willoughbee or Willoughby)
- Mary Meyer
- Mile Point
- Mosquitoville (a swampy area near Harvey's Lake in Barnet, VT)
- Notown
- North and South Hero (as an homage to Ethan and Ira Allen)
- Orwell
- Podunk
- Pompanoosuc
- Prosper
- Rutland (whomever named this town must have been having a bad day!)
- Satans Kingdom (sounds like a hell of a place!)
- Skunk's Misery (appears in several VT locations)
- Smuggler's Notch
- Smutty Corners (former name for Northfield Center based on a charcoal burning plant once located there)
- Sodom (changed to Adamant in 1905)
- Texas
- Tinmouth (Possibly borrowed from one of two English towns -Tynemouth in Northumberland or Teignmouth in Devonshire.)
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