This post was originally published on the Happy Vermont blog. You never know what you're going to find as you travel on the highways and byways of Vermont. In this case you'll find a great landmark and some delicious cheese. Check out these other cheesemakers that call Vermont home. If you love cheese, don't miss the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival in July. Happy exploring!
The green and rusted 1947 Chevy 1 Ton Truck that Jon Wright purchased a dozen years ago sits on the side of Route 11 in Londonderry, across the road from his farm. The truck is something of a Vermont roadside attraction, where people stop to take photos and inquire about its make and model.
When Wright bought the truck, he thought he would restore the classic pickup and try to keep it running. But Wright, who owns Taylor Farm, eventually had a better idea. Hoping to promote his Vermont cheesemaking business, he spray painted “Vermont Cheeses!!” on a piece of wood and propped a makeshift sign across the vehicle’s driver side door.
“People ask about the truck all of the time. I often laugh because people will stop to photograph the truck, but then they won’t stop to buy cheese,” Wright jokes. “What the hell good is that?”
Wright, who makes some of the best cheese in Vermont, has spent nearly 40 years at Taylor Farm. As a teenager, he started working at Taylor Farm – a small working dairy farm – in 1975. He took over the farm in 1989 and began making cheese in 1998. The farm is perhaps best known for its award-winning, signature raw milk Gouda cheese.
Of course, the farm is also well known for the old Chevy truck parked outside, where it has stood on the side of Route 11 for about eight years. People have occasionally asked to buy the truck, but Wright says he intends to keep it.
“It won’t be sold or replaced, but I may build a shed over it to protect it,” Wright says.
For those of us who enjoy offbeat landmarks, we hope the Taylor Farm truck sticks around for many years to come.
**If You Go: Taylor Farm is located at 825 Route 11 in Londonderry.
