This town of about 3,000 people on Vermont’s western border is a small but vibrant community with a quaint downtown and year-round outdoor recreation options. Poultney, a town of about 3,000 people on Vermont’s western border, is a small but vibrant community with a quaint downtown and a quintessential New England village green. In the heart of the Stone Valley, Poultney is home to some of the state’s earliest marble and granite quarries. Legend has it that its slate industry arose by accident in 1843, while a farmer was showing his land to a prospective buyer. When the buyer kicked a clump of soil, he unearthed a piece of slate, which convinced the farmer not to sell. Poultney’s stone industry is evident in much of the historic downtown architecture, including the Journal Press Building, built in 1908 to house the town’s weekly newspaper. In fact, Poultney is the birthplace of two famous journalists: Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New York Tribune; and George Jones, cofounder of the New York Times. The Journal Press Building is now home to Stone Valley Arts at Fox Hill. Beginning in 1856, East Poultney became one of the country’s largest producers of the melodeon, a small reed organ that was a popular form of 19th-century parlor entertainment. Though the factory closed in 1869, the Poultney Historical Society has maintained the Melodeon Factory as a museum since 1954 and uses it to house several of its permanent exhibits. Green Mountain College, a private liberal arts school at the base of the Taconic Mountains, was long a fixture in Poultney. After the 185-year-old college closed in 2019, the 155-acre campus was sold in 2020 to entrepreneur Raj Bhakta, founder of WhistlePig whiskey, who has applied for permits to build a hotel and condos. Poultney’s Lake St. Catherine region is a year-round destination for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, snowshoeing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. If you want to visit Poultney, Vermont, here’s a suggested itinerary. Note: Check websites to confirm business hours for the day of your visit. The Rail Trail Eatery Begin your Poultney visit with a breakfast of banana caramel French toast, a freshly baked muffin, an egg sandwich or a sloppy Joe omelette with cheese. Good eats right downtown — what more could you ask for? 143 Main St., Poultney Hit the Trails The 19.8-mile Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail runs along an abandoned railway corridor between Castleton and West Rupert and includes the Poultney River Loop, a 3.5-mile flat, multiuse trail…