The name John Deere has become synonymous with tractors and is known to just about everyone in the country. What’s not as well known is that Deere was born in Vermont, and spent his formative years in the Green Mountain state before heading west in the late 1830’s to seek his fortune.
But you can learn a lot more about the origins of Deere’s considerable legacy and underrated role in powering America’s economic engine at an exhibit currently on display at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury.
Mitch Wertlieb spoke with the museum’s Collections Manager and curator of the Deere exhibit, Jon Matthewson, about John Deere.
(To hear Mitch Wertlieb’s interview with Jon Matthewson, click on the “Listen” icon.)