Small Town With a Big Bonus

Wheelock, Vt., a town of 623 in one of the poorest counties in Vermont, has a big perk that realtors in the area often use as a selling point.

1 minute read

October 29, 2003, 1:00 PM PST

By Connie Chung

"It seems Dartmouth College's gift to this tiny town cannot possibly be true: Any child from the hardscrabble community of 623 admitted to the Ivy League university can attend tuition free....Area real estate agents use Dartmouth's gift as a selling point for property in the community....After Wheelock died in 1779, his son John, the second president of Dartmouth, was desperate to find a way to keep the school afloat. He asked the Vermont Legislature for help and in 1785, Vermont granted Dartmouth 23,000 acres of land in a town it named Wheelock. Over the years, Dartmouth collected rents from farmers in the town. The story goes that the offer of free tuition was made in the 1830s when Dartmouth President Nathan Lord was in Wheelock collecting rent."

Thanks to Connie Chung

FULL STORY: Tiny town has big perk: Free tuition at Dartmouth

Tuesday, October 28, 2003 in The Chicago Tribune

History / Preservation Vermont

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