Town file
Newfane, Vermont
Newfane, Vermont (Windham County, Vermont) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 546, "Stairway To Heaven" (16 November 2024). On 30 May 1992 Glenn Michaelson, a 34-year-old divorced father of two, hosted a Memorial Day party at the house he rented on Baker Brook Road in Williamsville, a village inside Newfane, Vermont.
- Town
- Newfane
- County
- Windham County
- State
- Vermont
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 546
- Approximate location
- 42.987, -72.656
Episode 546 / 16 November 2024 / 71 min / express
Stairway To Heaven
"This is Newfane, Vermont, in southern central Vermont, in the Windham County area; the murder happens in Williamsville, a smaller town inside Newfane." about 0:02:43
The case: Murder of Glenn Michaelson (May 30, 1992). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 1,807
- Median household income
- $59,792
- Median home value
- $319,400
History, in brief
- Chartered in 1753 by Governor Benning Wentworth and named Fane after John Fane, the seventh Earl of Westmoreland. about 0:03:51
- The first town meeting was not held within the required five years, so the charter was deemed null and void and a new charter was issued in 1761 naming it Newfane. about 0:04:25
- A village was built atop Newfane Hill, including the county buildings, but winter travel made the hill unusable, so the whole town was relocated to the flatlands in 1825. about 0:04:45
- The site had been Fayetteville before it was taken over and renamed Newfane. about 0:04:55
- In 1859 its industries included leather, linseed oil, two flour mills, two lumber mills and a large carriage factory. about 0:05:09
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Very small rural town with an old-timey feel, tight-knit neighbourhoods, very quiet, a nice place to retire, artsy and hip."about 0:05:23
5 stars
"You have to love the outdoors to live here, because there is nothing else going on."about 0:05:50
5 stars
"The community is great and people take care of each other."about 0:05:56
5 stars
"Moved ten years ago from the California Bay Area and never looked back; all four seasons are beautiful, especially spring and fall, and the people and water are the best part."about 0:06:03
5 stars
"An hour and fifteen minutes to the MGM casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, three hours to Boston and Burlington, five hours to Montreal."about 0:06:29
1 star
"There aren't many opportunities here."about 0:06:48
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Townshend, Vermont4.3 miles
- Grafton, Vermont13 miles
- Greenfield, Massachusetts26 miles
- Lempster, New Hampshire29 miles
- North Adams, Massachusetts32 miles
- Ashburnham, Massachusetts44 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.