http://www.vnews.com/10182009/6089479.htm (http://www.vnews.com/10182009/6089479.htm)
Article about the search, and potential ugly ramifications thereof, for Vermont's "Ancient Roads". Per legislation passed in 2006, Vermont's towns have until February to document these ancient roads or forever lose them from the public right-of-way.
If I were already retired from the Navy and living up there, I'd probably be joining the search...
It would really suck if you bought this nice fancy house in Vermont with a lot of land, thought you had it made, and then the town pops up "hey, we just found out Carriage Route 4 passed through your back yard in the Jefferson administration; we're taking it back".
at this point, given that the town has not used the right-of-way for anything in centuries, you'd imagine that it would be considered abandoned by the government, and therefore they would not have a case against the landowner.
Vermont law doesn't work that way (at least not until February). The article does a pretty good job of explaining it.