West of Farmington and just north of US-2, the town of Wilton was the longtime home of famous shoemaker G. H. Bass Company, makers of those leather “Weejuns” so loved by preppies. In 1998 the Bass Company abandoned Wilton for the lower-wage Dominican Republic, but their old mill is still standing. Next to the mill, an old boarding house holds the Wilton Farm and Home Museum (by appointment only; donation; 207/645-2261), a fascinating museum with exhibits on G. H. Bass, its shoe-making operations, and everything from old bottles to the life of the Wilton-born “Maine Giantess,” Sylvia Hardy, an 8-foot-tall, 400-pound woman who was a star of P. T. Barnum’s famous freak shows. Across the street from the mill and museum is the nice little Curiosity Book Shop (207/645-4122), at 285 Main Street.
Wilton is also home to a large windmill marking the Dutch Treat restaurant and ice cream stand right on US-2 east of town.
