on foot through
factory point
A Riverwalk on the Battenkill
There is something quite peculiar
about the Battenkill in Manchester
Center: big, fat trout swim in it,
pretty songbirds, ducks, and geese
drink from it, beautiful wildflowers
grow along it, and people—people
like us who generally love nature—
just don’t see it. But what if there
was a safe, open trail along the
riverbanks? A pleasant path, just
far enough away from traffic and
shopping centers and noise—would
you walk it? Did you answer yes?
That’s what the folks at Manchester’s
R iverwalk Committee, a nonprofit
group, are counting on, and they
are working hard to give all of us
that opportunity.
Manchester became a prosperous
commercial hub by the mid-1800s,
thanks to this hardworking river.
Standing near the spillway at the
Factory Point Town Green on Depot
Street, you see just a small part of
the Battenkill. The river rises close
by at Mount Tabor in East Dorset,
and courses more than 59 miles in
all, eventually converging with the
mighty Hudson River at Easton, New
52 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine.com
York; 28 miles flow southerly, then
westerly through Vermont. The short
section of the river running through
Manchester Center has a long story
to tell about how the town was
settled and grew. In the late 1700s
and first half of the 1800s, you would
have seen busy mills and factories
drawing on the waterpower. You
would have perhaps been one of
the hundreds of men, women, and
children arriving at dawn, toiling
away as long as there was daylight,
and then wearily trudging home
again at dusk, six days a week.
Where are all those factories now?
And, how did the river become so
hidden here? Aside from the natural
beauty, there’s so much to tell about
this one river’s role in Vermont’s
early economy.
Although the idea for a trail sounds
so straightforward (it’s not that hard
to clear a little path, you say), dozens
of volunteers, led by Bill Laberge,
president of the Board of Trustees,
meet regularly. They discuss the
many interlocking parts that go
into a project such as this: ecology,
floodways, fishing rights, legality,
rights-of-way, design, signage,
lighting, safety, accessibility, funding,
governance, maintenance, and at
the top of the list, public support. No
one thing can happen without all the
others. “We really are excited that
this is the year Riverwalk becomes
a more enticing and vibrant part
of Manchester’s landscape,” says
Margaret Donovan, vice president of
the Riverwalk Committee’s board.
“There is a new entrance sign next
to the Friends of the Sun building
on Depot Street. It was made and
donated by East Dorset metalsmith
Sam Mosheim, assisted by Dan
Mosheim. The deep red sign is set in
a large block of marble, which was
placed by Ed Clark Landscaping, who
also donated time to the project.
In the Restoration Test Garden, we
planted native species, and we are
adding more along the walkway as we
remove non-native invasive plants.”
The design plan for Riverwalk
includes the installation of new
footbridges. One, spanning the river
at the town green, will be something
rather special that invites everyone
to experience the natural beauty
of the Battenkill, with the added
thrill of having a perfect vantage
point to watch the river splash over
the spillway. And downstream, a
footbridge is “in the works” for this
year; UVM engineering students are
assisting the Riverwalk Committee
with design and placement. For
project updates, and details
regarding the Party at the River on
July 1, visit manchesterriverwalk.org.
–A.R.