I had wanted to offer a leaf-peeping video, https://youtu.be/7KeyZ3aLrNE, on my channel because…’tis the season. And I figured people would be interested, right? But, what does THAT have to do with history?
Well, you may be interested to know that the term “leaf-peeper” likely evolved from “leaf-peeker”, which was coined in Vermont in the early 1900’s.
It appeared for the first time in print in 1966 in the Vermont newspaper, the Bennington Banner. There was an article entitled “Through the Eyes of a Leaf-Peeper”, which was about the beauty of Vermont’s fall foliage. In that same edition, there was an editorial about a Vermonter who had a sign on his/her car that said “TOURISTS GO HOME!!”.
You’ll note the change in the video from Shelburne and sunshine to South Burlington and rain. Plus, I was walking in Shelburne and driving in South Burlington. I had filmed the day before in the rain and decided to stitch the 2 videos together.
