Mount Holly Railroad History

During construction of what became the Rutland Railroad, two important events occurred in Mount Holly. In 1848, a construction crew discovered the tusk and tooth of a woolly mammoth in the nearby wetland. These are on display in the Community Historical Museum in Belmont Village. The second event occurred on December 18, 1849 near this highpoint on the rail line, later called the Summit. The tracks that connected here were being constructed simultaneously from Burlington and Boston. Locomotives pulling trains with dignitaries from both cities met to drive the last spike. Water from Lake Champlain and Boston Harbor was mingled in front of the cowcatchers, and all celebrated with rum and local hard cider.