Bristol: Small Town Living At Its Best

Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains‚ Bristol is a quaint village of about 3‚800 residents. Main Street is lined with friendly village shops that satisfy every interest: antiques‚ gifts‚ home accessories and Vermont-made products such as handmade beeswax candles. Dine at restaurants with menu selections offering everything from pizza to champagne. Bristol is surrounded by serene woodlands‚ crystal clear streams and rivers and delightful mountain scenery. Four season natural beauty is within easy reach by car bike foot or fishing pole.

BRISTOL ATTRACTIONS

Lord's Prayer Rock

When Joseph C. Greene was a boy and lived in South Starksboro one of his tasks was to take the logs from the mountaintop to the sawmill in Bristol. The 9 Bridges Road or the Drake Woods Road in those days was a terrifying ride. Not only were there 9 bridges to cross‚ but also the logs were big and apt to slide off the load. When he arrived at the "Big Rock" he knew his problems were over‚ so he said a little prayer and breathed a sigh of relief knowing he would once more get his load to the mill safely. Years later when he was a practicing physician in Buffalo‚ New York‚ he and his brother took a trip around the world and after seeing the hieroglyphics in Egypt‚ he decided to come home and have the Lord's Prayer chiseled on the rock that had given him peace of mind and a feeling of security when he was a boy.

Bristol Green

Our town green has been a central part of our village throughout its history. The Bristol Band has presented outdoor summer band concerts in the gazebo on the town green every Wednesday from June through August since shortly after the Civil War. Folks bring their lawn chairs‚ visit with their neighbors and enjoy the music. The green hosts 4th of July events‚ the Farmers’ Market‚ Movies in the Park‚ BBQs, the Bristol Harvest Festival and many other activities. The green is also home to an ADA-compliant natural playground.

Historical Note

The following is from the Bristol Land Record: "...in consideration of the friendship love, esteem and good will we have for the town of Bristol we quit claim a certain piece of land about 1-1/2 acres of land for the express purpose of a public common and green and it is particularly understood that the selectmen of the town or any person shall not be at liberty to erect or build any house, shop or any building or fence the same up, or encumber in any wise by rolling logs or packing lumber, stone, brick, lime, clay, earth or dig up the earth. It shall be and remain as a public common without anything being built or laid there on. Signed Luman Munson, George C. Dayfoot. Dated April 21, 1827."

MORE ABOUT BRISTOL

Bristol was chartered in 1762 and originally named Pocock, in honor of a distinguished English admiral of that name. The name was changed to Bristol in 1789.

Bristol is the second largest community in Addison County. It is 30 miles south of Burlington; 12 miles north of Middlebury on Routes 116 and 17. Montpelier, the capital of Vermont‚ is a 50-minute drive; Montreal is 2.5 hours, Boston approximately 4 hours. It covers 26,880 acres with a geographic location of 70 degrees 04'W, 44 degrees 08'N; and is located 520 ft. altitude above sea level.

More information about Bristol can be found on Bristol CORE's (formerly the Bristol Downtown Community Partnership) website.