The Roads That Time Forgot

Before the railroad, Vermont Route 4 crossed the river at Taftsville and ran through Quechee village.

Nov 07, 2026

Jigsaw for November 7, 2026: https://puzzles.curioustorian.com/woodstock-road-1855

Woodstock to White River Junction on the 1855 map of Windsor County.

We all know Quechee Gorge and the glorious, incongruous bridge that spans the Ottauquechee River far below.

Then we become aware of the erstwhile Woodstock Railway, and gradually about its history and route, and come to know that the first bridge was built to carry the railroad its final few miles to the Junction in downtown White River. That first bridge was a wooden truss, a lattice of timbers that carried the trains 168 feet above the water.

And then, gradually, we realize that before the bridge, the road from Woodstock took a much more circuitous route from Taftsville, one that can still be driven.

It is also still possible to see, and even stroll on, the old railroad bed, abandoned since the last run of the railroad in 1933.

As is often the case, one idle question led to a network of questions and discoveries that go beyond one Curioustorian post. So we'll start with the driving route, and note other avenues for future exploration and discovery.

In 1855 the road crossed the Ottauquechee once, at Taftsville, kept to the north bank into Quechee village, climbed to the railroad depot in Hartford, passed through Hartford's old town center, and followed the White River down to the Junction. That is about sixteen miles. By stage, at five or six miles an hour, it was close to a three-hour trip.

The old road in red, on the 1855 map. — The old road in red; J. Shallies' house is just above Shallie's Hill.

In 1875 the Woodstock Railway opened. It took a straighter line, high above the river, and crossed Quechee Gorge on a wooden bridge. The trip took 37 to 45 minutes. The steel arch we know replaced the wooden bridge in 1911.

The railroad's first bridge over Quechee Gorge. Henry Cushing, NYPL.

The cut at Shallies Hill, Hartford, 1875. UVM Special Collections. — The cut at Shallie's Hill, Hartford, 1875. UVM Special Collections.

The last train ran on April 15, 1933. That June the state bought the railroad's right of way and laid the new Route 4 on it, from just west of Quechee village to White River Junction, across the Gorge on the railroad's bridge.

The roads that time forgot

The old road is still there. Quechee Main Street, Old Quechee Road, Center of Town Road and Old River Road follow it most of the way. Only a short piece near the depot was lost under I-89.

Lidar, a laser scan of the bare ground. The 1855 road in red, Route 4 in blue, the railroad in black and white. — Lidar, a laser scan of the bare ground, with trees and buildings removed.

How to drive it today

From the Woodstock green, follow Central Street and Pleasant Street east onto Route 4. At Taftsville, turn left across the covered bridge.

On the far side, Quechee Main Street follows the north bank of the river about four miles into Quechee village. From the village, Old Quechee Road climbs north about two miles toward Route 4 and I-89, near where Woodstock Station stood.

The next piece of the old road is lost under the interstate. Costello Road, a short stretch of Route 4 and Stagecoach Road bring you around to Center of Town Road, Hartford's first town center.

From there Smith Road leads down to Old River Road, which follows the White River east. Mill Road takes you back to Route 4, and North Main Street brings you into White River Junction. About sixteen miles, and well under three hours.

For another day

The railroad bed. You can walk a piece of it in the park by the old Woodstock depot, where Route 4 turns sharply into the village. Driving west on Route 4, you can catch a glimpse of another piece just before Taftsville. Hartford's old Center of Town, where the meeting house stood until 1840. And a set of maps you can layer and compare yourself. More to come.

More from Quechee and White River Junction