Lake Saint Catherine, the second-largest lake entirely in Vermont, was a stopping-off place for native peoples long before European settlers discovered it. Ethan Allen is thought to have been a frequent member of later groups who came to hunt and fish its abundant wildlife. As the area became more thickly settled in the 1800s, two grand hotels were built to accommodate summer visitors; these enjoyed a brief heyday before being dismantled in the early 1900s when private cottages came to be built as family retreats. Wells has maintained its rural character since it was formed in 1771. Early industry arose from sheep farming, when mills were built to process wool for market. The town at one time boasted three stores, four distilleries, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, a tannery and a number of grist and saw mills.
Wells Springs Unified School District
K to Grade 6: Wells Village School
Grades 7-12: Full choice (state average tuition paid for any private/independent school) Area schools include
Burr & Burton Academy, Manchester; Long Trail School, Dorset; Granville Central School, Granville NY; Poultney High School, Poultney, VT
EZ Marine
Emma’s Lakeside Market
Wells Country Store
Larson Farm
Wellsmere Farm Store
Otto’s Cone Point General Store
Phil’s Mill
Wells United Methodist Church
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Wells is a 30-minute drive to Manchester, 6 minutes to Granville, NY, 13 minutes to Poultney and 42 minutes to Rutland.
The Wells area is within an hour’s drive to New York State’s Route 87 (the Northway) and a little over an hour to Route 91 between Vermont and New Hampshire. Albany NY, is and hour and a half away. The major metropolitan areas of New York, Boston and Montreal are reachable in four hours or less.
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