A Brief History of Dickens Station

Merritt Otto Dickens was born in 1843, some ten years after Charles Dickens published the beloved A Christmas Carol. There is no family connection of which anyone is aware. Merritt Dickens is reported to have been a self-made millionaire, though his enterprise remains a mystery.

The phrase “Merritt’s secret” refers to the lack of evidence to suggest why Dickens undertook the massive project of relocating several substantial buildings to the United States. We only know for certain that he did because they are here. Over time, Dickens filled in the rest of our town with buildings of similar architecture.

Some time before 1910, the Dickens family, along with several prominent citizens, began plying the tourist trade by hosting traditional Christmas-related events in town and the surrounding county. The quaint location and period architecture proved to be such a draw that gradually, through the early nineteen-hundreds, Dickens Station became known as a Christmas destination. The Dickens family loaned artifacts to create museum exhibits in the front of every original building, reflecting its purpose in the eighteen-nineties. Behind each museum, the buildings function as their modern-day counterpart.

Upon the opening of the Inn and Cottages in 1910, the town formally declared itself a year-round Christmas-themed village that provides “a Vermont resort experience for every season.” About that time, the town cobblestoned Market Street and closed it to vehicular traffic. Town ordinance allows horse-drawn carriages on Market Street ferrying guests to and from the Inn. Back Street became paved and was closed to guest traffic, encircling the town and providing a service access road to the thriving businesses.

The Vermont Southern Railroad plays a prominent role in our past, present, and future. Merritt Dickens had the branch tracks laid initially to bring in the buildings and the materials necessary to construct the town. But it has been VSR’s excursion train between Rutland and Bellows Falls that serves as the lifeline of our tourist business. The railroad runs in all but the most extreme weather, making four stops at Dickens Station daily. You can, of course, also reach Dickens Station by car, weather permitting.

Our residents are just as charming and interesting as our town, which I will explore in future articles. If you have questions, feel free to stop any of them and ask. I’ll bet you an almond pudding at the Plum Pudding Bakery that they will end the conversation with a sincere, “Welcome to Dickens Station.”