Welcome to Granville: Dirt Roads, Forests and a Popular Waterfall
April 11, 2026

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Granville is a small town on a beautiful stretch of Route 100 that’s home to Vermont’s most photographed waterfall.

Moss Glen Falls features a dramatic 80-foot drop to the floor of the Granville Gulf, where Deer Hollow Brook joins Alder Meadow Brook.

The waterfall is an absolute wonder—and you never get tired of seeing it, especially after a rain storm. (Moss Glen Falls in Granville is not to be confused with Moss Glen Falls in Stowe. I have no idea why they have the same name!)

The falls are part of a protected area known as Granville Gulf Reservation, created in 1928 with 900 acres donated to the state by former Governor Redfield Proctor. Over time, Granville Gulf has expanded to nearly 1,200 acres with additional land being purchased by the State of Vermont.

I’m intrigued by Granville’s 30 miles of dirt roads, the thousands of acres of forested land, and the community’s somewhat quirky history.

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Granville Town Hall

-The Granville Town Hall towers over the town clerk’s office, a former schoolhouse.

A Railroad, Farms, and Schoolhouses

Granville’s history dates back to the 1780s, when it was called Kingston and named after early settlers. The legislature changed the name to Granville in 1834, and historians note that some early Vermont records spelled it Grantville.

At one point, residents came from nearby towns, drawn by advertisements of 100 acres to the first women and their families who settled in town. Undeterred by the rough terrain, these settlers traveled north from Hancock along the White River and began farming the rocky hillsides.

The development of the Vermont Central Railroad in 1849 encouraged the area’s growth. The hamlet of East Granville, separated from the town by a mountain ridge, emerged along the railway line.

Like other towns, Granville’s population rose to a high of around 1,100 in the mid-1880s. Since then, a steady decline brought it to a low of about 200 in 1950. That number slowly increased to about 300 in recent years.

At its peak, Granville had ten school districts, each with its own schoolhouse. The last one-room schoolhouse closed in 2009, and the building now serves as the town clerk’s office.

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-Route 100 with a view of the Granville Town Hall.

Granville Facts

Population: 301

Size of the town: 51.5 square miles

Miles of dirt roads: 30 miles, according to the state of Vermont

Tallest peak: Adams Mountain, 3,214 feet

Best mountain name: Lost Mountain, 2,617 feet

Popular destination: Moss Glen Falls

Fun road name: Post Office Hill

Size of Green Mountain National Forest in Granville: Over 14,000 acres

Listen to a 2025 Happy Vermont podcast episode about ancient roads in Granville

The Granville Hermit and John Deere

Welcome to Granville

-Granville was once called Kingston, named after early settlers.

The Granville Hermit

Carl Morse, known as the Granville Hermit, was a horse whisperer and known for understanding people and predicting events. He retreated to his remote cabin off the Texas Falls Gap Trail and rarely engaged with the public. There’s a book about Morse called The Granville Hermit, written by Robert “Butch” Foster.

John Deere was married here

Known for inventing the steel plow, John Deere was born in Rutland in 1804. He stayed with Mary and William Lamb in Granville’s South Hollow sometime after 1830 and married their daughter, Demarius.

The couple lived in several Addison County towns before settling in Moline, Illinois. After Demarius passed away, Deere returned to the Lamb residence in 1866 and married another daughter, Lucinia, with their wedding held at the Union Meeting House in Lower Granville.

Booze wins the popular vote

In 1963, Granville residents voted to allow alcohol sales at town meeting. One vote passed 12-5 to allow malt beverages and wines, and the other vote passed 13-5 for “spirituous” liquids.

Old place names

Old place names include Sandusky (once home to a coal mine in East Granville), Codfish Corners, and Puddledock, according to Esther M. Swift’s 1977 book, Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History.

More about Granville Gulf Reservation

Granville Gulf Reservation spans 1,192 acres along a six-mile stretch of Route 100.

In Vermont, a “gulf” refers to a narrow, steep-walled mountain pass or gorge. These V-shaped valleys cut through the Green Mountains, create natural routes for roads, and often channel glacial runoff.

A drive through Granville Gulf is worth the trip.