Rokeby Museum is hosting a fascinating lecture program - "Finding Room in Vermont: Accommodating Tourism in an 'Unspoiled' Landscape" - this Sunday.

Tourism has long been a driving force in shaping the popular conception of rural Vermont - and it can be surprising to learn how early this effort began, and how far-reaching the results have been. Orchardist, author and Middlebury resident Blake Harrison will discuss the early history of Vermont tourism, the abandonment of farms, the rise of summer homes, and the branding of an "unspoiled" Vermont.

Harrison holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is author of The View from Vermont: Tourism and the Making of an American Rural Landscape (2006). Reception to follow, with books available for purchase.