Even if you've never set foot in Vermont, you've probably had a taste of New England's most agrarian state, whether it was Vermont-made maple syrup, cheddar cheese, apple cider, or Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Vermont was the last New England state to be settled. For the brief period from 1777 to 1791, before it became the fourteenth state in the Union, Vermont was its own country — an independent republic with its own postal service, currency, and laws. Today, there is still a different drummer leading Vermont's march through time.