Albert Deuso operated a farm located south of the notch between Jay and Montgomery in Montgomery Center, Vermont. The farm sat on Route 242, which connected Montgomery Center with Jay Village through what would later become the Jay Peak area. By the late 1920s, Deuso’s Farm had established itself as a reliable stop for hikers traveling the Long Trail.[^1]
The farm offered something hikers desperately needed: a warm bed and a hot meal. According to the Long Trail Guide Book’s 7th Edition, published in 1928, Deuso provided "excellent food and lodging" for trail travelers. Hikers who wished to contact Deuso could address their mail in care of Albert Deuso at Montgomery Center.[
Early Visitors and Hiker Experiences
The farm’s reputation drew notable visitors. In the summer of 1927, one of the most celebrated groups of early Long Trail hikers—the Three Musketeers (Hilda Kurth, Catherine Robbins, and Kathleen Norris)—passed through Montgomery Center. Kathleen Norris, writing to James P. Taylor, the founder of the Green Mountain Club, mentioned that she would "drop you another line from Albert Deuso’s, another farm on the trail [in Montgomery Center]" during their historic first all-women thru-hike of the Long Trail.
Two years later, in 1929, E.P. Dickinson of Amherst, Massachusetts, and a hiking companion traversed this same section of trail. Dickinson’s experience at Deuso’s Farm was notable enough to warrant mention in the Long Trail Guide Book. While Dickinson’s actual assessment of Mr. Deuso was cryptic—he wrote, "but try and understand Mr. Deuso"—the farm clearly made an impression on early hikers.
Neighboring Competition and Pricing
The farm’s success had spawned competition. Dickinson also noted that another farm located just below Deuso’s Farm provided meals to hikers, charging 50 cents for either lunch or dinner in August 1929.[^3] This suggests that by the late 1920s, the area between Jay and Montgomery had become a small hub of hiker hospitality, with multiple farms competing for the business of trail travelers.
The Farmer’s Unusual Tenure
Deuso’s relationship to his land was unusual. Unlike most farmers who owned their properties outright, Deuso leased his farm from the University of Vermont under a distinctive arrangement. The lease permitted him to occupy the farm "so long as grass is green and water flows downhill"—a poetic formulation that reflected the university’s stewardship of its lands. In exchange for this tenure, Deuso paid no property taxes, only a nominal fee to the university.
Sources
- Long Trail Guide Book. 7th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1928.
- Kathleen Norris. Letter from Kathleen Norris to James P. Taylor, . 1927.
