Before Your Time is a podcast about Vermont history. Every episode, we go inside the stacks at the Vermont Historical Society to look at an object from their permanent collection that tells us something unique about our state. Then, we take a closer look at the people, the events, and the ideas that surround each artifact.
[T]he 1970s are often remembered in Vermont as the decade that thousands of new transplants made the state their home. While the country grappled with Vietnam and Watergate, back-to-the-land communes offered settlers an alternative path.
The counterculture valued self-reliance over profit. As the movement spread, Vermont finished its long transformation from one of the most conservative states in the country to one of the most liberal.
But the decade was also good for business. While back-to-the-landers worked to build sustainable cooperatives, profit-driven businesses thrived. Huge companies like Burton Snowboards and Ben & Jerry’s got their start, while inventors and artisans found major markets for their goods.
In this podcast, hear from three entrepreneurs who found 1970s Vermont to be the right place at the right time. Hinda Miller, one of the inventors of the sports bra, turned a personal hunch into a product that changed athletics forever. Duncan Syme, co-founder of Vermont Castings, built a wood stove business that served natives and newcomers alike. And Fred and Judi Danforth, of Danforth Pewter, managed a sought-after product line while preserving their artisan roots.
Subscribe to Before Your Time on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Google Play. See more images and a transcript of this episode at beforeyourtime.org.
Produced in partnership with the Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Humanities Council. Music for this episode is by Michael Chapman and the Woodpiles, Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, and Broke for Free.
