Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park

Address:54 Elm Street
Woodstock, Vermont
Tel: (802) 457-3368

Enjoy one of the most beautiful forests on the eastern seaboard at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a 643 acre testament to America's conservationist movement. Today, visitors to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park can tour various historical buildings or take a lovely walk through the forest.

In 1864, George Perkins Marsh published the book, "Man and Nature," his treatise on conservationism. Later, in 1869, Frederick Billings bought the farm that had once belonged to the Marsh family and established a more progressive dairy farm in its place. Still later, in 1951, Laurence and Mary Rockefeller inherited the Billings farm and sought to modernize and improve it further. In 1992, the Rockefellers donated the residential property, along with 555 acres of nearby Mount Tom forestland to the National Park Service, which opened the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in 1998.

Today, visitors to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park can participate in explorations of the Carriage Barn, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion, and the pristine forests surrounding the area. The Carriage Barn is the visitor center for the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, with an exhibit on the history of the conservationist movement, a visitor reading library, and a bookstore. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion has an hour long tour exploring the history of conservation, from Marsh through to the present. The woods around the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park are home to sugar maples and 400 year old hemlocks, as well as 20 miles of scenic carriage roads and trails. After their visit to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, tourists can find a wide variety of places to eat in nearby Woodstock, with everything from pizza to French cuisine.

To get to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, visitors should take Interstate 89 to exit 1, follow Route 4 west for 13 miles, then turn right onto Route 12 North and bear right after the iron bridge, continuing for 1/4 mile until the Billings Farm & Museum. The whole family will love the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the pinnacle of American conservationism!