Temporary Closure Notice

 

As a precaution, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Isle La Motte Town Office is closed to the public effective immediately and until April 7, 2020, when we will reassess the situation. The Town Office staff will remain available to assist you by phone and email.

To reach Isle La Motte Town Office staff, call (802) 928-3434 or email: islemott@fairpoint.net. We will be checking and returning messages daily.

If you have an immediate need that must be met in office, please reach out to the Town Clerk for an appointment.

Sarah Noble: (802) 372-1062 or sarahnoble87@gmail.com

Asst. Carol Michaels: (802) 928-4164

We encourage everyone to follow CDC and Department of Health hand-washing and social distancing recommendations.

Thank you for understanding that these are unusual times, requiring precautions for public safety and health.

 

** All regularly scheduled Select Board meetings will be postponed until further notice. 

** The deadline for Dog Licensing will be extended to May 1, 2020.

 

 

 

Isle La Motte, the northernmost and most remote of the Champlain Islands, is 7 miles long by 2 miles wide, and lies close to where Lake Champlain empties into the Richelieu River. It is the place where Samuel De Champlain first landed, in 1609, on the lake that now bears his name. Isle La Motte’s European settlement history goes back to the 17th century. A French fort was built in 1666 on the site that is now St. Anne’s Shrine. The island gets its name from the builder of the fort, Pierre De La Motte. As early as 1832 Fisk Quarry exported a beautiful dark limestone called black marble to cities in the south, and this fossil-laden rock can be found in the U.S. Capitol building and the National Gallery of Art. In the mid 1800’s orchards, vineyards and dairy farms flourished on the island, which was then connected to the mainland by ferry during the warmer months and by foot or wagon over the ice in winter. In 1878 the town was incorporated for the sole purpose of building a bridge to Alburgh, and the bridge was completed in 1882. Today Isle La Motte has a general store, two churches, a post office and library, elementary school and historical society. About 500 residents call the island home year-round. This number swells many times over in the summer months when the beauty of the island and access to the lake attract many vacationers, bikers and part-time residents. St. Anne’s Shrine brings in tourists from both VT and Canada, and the Goodsell Ridge Preserve is a mecca for scientists and others interested in the unique geology of the island.