In 1944, Christine Hires, a member of the family behind Hires Root Beer, was vacationing in Vermont when she fell in love with the landscape and decided to buy a 150-acre dairy farm in what is now Huntington. Hires had originally intended to spend her money on a fur coat, but instead put it toward the property and kept the farm as a vacation home. According to the Green Mountain Audubon Center's official history, when her husband later inquired about the coat, Hires reportedly replied, "Oh, golly." She would keep the Vermont property for nearly two decades before deciding that it should be preserved rather than developed. In 1964, she transferred the farm to the Green Mountain Audubon Society, turning a personal vacation retreat into the foundation of what Audubon describes as Vermont's oldest operating nature center. The decision helped protect the landscape from future development while creating a lasting place for birds, wildlife and people alike. More than 60 years later, the property remains protected as a place for conservation, education and public access.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
