Why are there so many twins in Sheldon?

There’s a saying that twins are “in the water” in the town of Sheldon. Our journey to get to the bottom of this curious bit of local lore takes us from a dairy farm in Franklin County to a university in Amsterdam and back. Thanks to the amateur investigators who aided us along the way, and to Ellen Stanley, our winning question-asker. She’s wondering: “I live next to a community — Sheldon, Vermont — that has so many twins. Are twins really 'in the water'? What might cause this over generations?” Click here for the web version of this episode, including photos and a full transcript. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about the show! Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.

You can listen to Why are there so many twins in Sheldon? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Why are there so many twins in Sheldon? is an episode from Brave Little State by Vermont Public Radio.

This episode is 22:29 long.

This episode was published on May 21, 2026.

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