Tucked away in the dark forests of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, St. Johnsbury was mostly unbroken wilderness when first chartered in 1786. Swinging axes soon made way for the burgeoning split-level town, with stately Main Street homes on St. Johnsbury Plain presiding in grandeur over the bustling commerce of Railroad Street below. Peggy Pearl brings a decidedly human element to this comprehensive history, wandering the graves of Mount Pleasant Cemetery and bringing to life the stories of those tanners, cobblers, millworkers and brick makers who made St. Johnsbury their home. With excerpts from vintage newspapers like the "Caledonian-Record" and the "Farmer's Herald," Pearl unfolds the transformation from quiet mill town into picturesque manufacturing hub of Caledonia County.