Drive across U.S. Route 2 in eastern Vermont and you’ll pass through a small town named Danville. Turn right in Danville on Brainerd Road, which will turn into Greenbanks Hollow Road, ending at the lost village of Greenbank’s Hollow. It’s a picturesque spot in Vermont: leafy dirt roads, farms on either side, the covered bridge at the crossroads, and the rush of the water at the bottom of the hill.
Entrance to the historic site – check the map and pick up a pamphlet to guide you through the numbered sites.
It’s hard to believe now, due to the small size of Danville and the quiet, rural road, but Greenbank’s Hollow was a bustling mill village in its day. The village grew around a woolen mill. Benjamin Greenback bought an existing mill in 1849, converted to a five story woolen mill that employed 45 people in the 1850s – the largest in the area. The company village included a post office, a store, a school, residences, a gristmill, and a sawmill. Sadly, in 1885 a fire destroyed much of the village, including the mill. Slowly the village residents left, businesses closed, and the school closed in 1912. {Summarized from the Danville Historical Society’s brief history page.}
Greenbanks Mill, South Danville, probably around 1885. Photo source: Danville Historical Society. Click for link.
The Division for Historic Preservation marker gives you a brief history of the site.
A covered bridge in the middle of Greenbank’s Hollow.
Remains of the mill across the river.
Looking from the covered bridge to the gristmill foundations.
All sites are identified with a green marker. The pamphlet (grab one at the main site entrance) will give you brief descriptions of each location.
The village is all foundations, and it’s a peaceful walk in a quiet Vermont spot.
The trail takes you through the trees for a few sites.
The historic site exists today thanks to the efforts of the Danville Historical Society who preserved the site as a public park. Can’t make it to Greenbank’s Hollow? Check out this virtual e-book tour.
Preservation in Pink 