Beecher Falls Ethan Allan Factory, Vermont

The international boundary begins its journey westward for 90 miles along the top of Vermont here, at the intersection of Halls Stream, and the 45^th Parallel. The 45^th Parallel, the line of latitude halfway between the equator and the North Pole, was officially named as the border for this region in 1783, and parts were surveyed even before that, in 1771-72. A survey starting in 1845 set the majority of the early cast iron monuments along the line. These early surveys introduced errors which, after some debate, were finally accepted as the official boundary. As a result the boundary zigs and zags over the 45^th Parallel, sometimes deviating by more than a mile. The 45^th Parallel here is also the northern property line of the original Ethan Allen Furniture factory, at Beecher Falls. Out of this plant came the furnishings for the oval office for a number of Presidential administrations. The plant layed off most of its 500 workers a few years ago, and is currently in limbo, though the company continues to operate a plant in Orleans, Vermont.