Adamant, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Adamant is a small, unincorporated village
in Washington County
, Vermont
, United States
, in the central part of the state.
The village is situated on the town line between Calais
to the north and East Montpelier
to the south. There is no true boundary to define the village, and as such there is great debate as to what constitutes residence. This is, however, purely theoretical as there is no legal, governmental or commercial status associated with residence. The debate has given rise to the common aphorism
that, "Adamant is a state of mind".
The village was originally known as Sodom
from its inception in the mid-19th century as a granite
quarry
-town until 1905 when residents petitioned the state legislature for a name change. The quarries remained an active part of the Vermont granite industry well into the mid-20th century.
The village center is the Adamant Co-op, a general store
and post office
located at the junction of Haggett, Quarry, Center and Sodom Pond Roads. Founded in 1935, it is the state's oldest co-operative.
Perhaps the Village's most notable inclusion is the Adamant Music School
, a summer-long piano and musicology school founded in 1942.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Washington County
Washington County, Vermont
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 59,534; Vermont's third-most populous county after Chittenden County and Rutland County. Its shire town is Montpelier, the state capital. The center of population of Vermont is located in Washington...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the central part of the state.
The village is situated on the town line between Calais
Calais, Vermont
Calais is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,529 at the 2000 census. Calais is pronounced similarly to palace, not chalet...
to the north and East Montpelier
East Montpelier, Vermont
East Montpelier is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,578 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.1 square miles , of which 32.0 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
to the south. There is no true boundary to define the village, and as such there is great debate as to what constitutes residence. This is, however, purely theoretical as there is no legal, governmental or commercial status associated with residence. The debate has given rise to the common aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
that, "Adamant is a state of mind".
The village was originally known as Sodom
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
from its inception in the mid-19th century as a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
-town until 1905 when residents petitioned the state legislature for a name change. The quarries remained an active part of the Vermont granite industry well into the mid-20th century.
The village center is the Adamant Co-op, a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
located at the junction of Haggett, Quarry, Center and Sodom Pond Roads. Founded in 1935, it is the state's oldest co-operative.
Perhaps the Village's most notable inclusion is the Adamant Music School
Adamant Music School
The Adamant Music School is a piano school located in Adamant, Vermont.Founded in 1942 by pianist Edwine Behre, journalist/poet Alice Mary Kimball and photographer Harry Godfrey, the school has operated continuously as a summer retreat to some of the world's most accomplished and respected pianists...
, a summer-long piano and musicology school founded in 1942.