While restoring our historic Vermont farm, we uncovered two broken clay tobacco pipes buried in the soil. Research revealed they were manufactured by McDougall & Co. of Glasgow, Scotland, during the late nineteenth century. Their story offers another fascinating glimpse into the everyday lives of the Spaulding family who called this farm home for nearly two centuries.

A button found while digging a post hole sent me down a historical rabbit hole. What I discovered was a 250-year-old story involving Benedict Arnold, the Battle of Valcour Island, and a British soldier named McDonald who may still be buried on our farm.

In previous articles—The Spaulding Homestead and Revolution: Patriots, Hardship, and Survival on the Frontier—we explored the documented history of the Spaulding family in early Vermont. Here, we turn to something less tangible but equally meaningful: folklore. Often described as “the knowledge of the people,” folklore preserves the stories that live beyond official records. These stories—passed down through generations—offer insight into how a place is remembered, not just how it was recorded. In 1991, the Town of Panton published a revised edition of Panton—Past and Present: A Condensed History of the Town of Panton, Vermont. This work combines archival research with…