Editing Calais, Vermont

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Calais, Vermont
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = calais_town_hall_vermont.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Calais Town Hall
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Washington County Vermont Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Calais highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location in Washington County and the state of Vermont
|pushpin_map              = USA
|pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Vermont]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Vermont|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Washington County, Vermont|Washington]]
|parts_type               = Communities
|parts                    = {{ubl|[[Adamant, Vermont|Adamant]]|[[East Calais, Vermont|East Calais]]|[[Kents Corner Historic District|Kents Corner]]|[[Maple Corner, Vermont|Maple Corner]] (Calais P.O.)|North Calais|Pekin}}

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        =
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 99.9
|area_land_km2            = 98.5
|area_water_km2           = 1.5
|area_total_sq_mi         = 38.6
|area_land_sq_mi          = 38.0
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.6

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 1661
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi =

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      =
|elevation_m              = 338
|elevation_ft             = 1109
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|21|48|N|72|27|59|W|region:US-VT|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 05648 (Calais)<br/>05650 ([[East Calais, Vermont|East Calais]])<br/>05640 ([[Adamant, Vermont|Adamant]])<br/>05658 ([[Marshfield (village), Vermont|Marshfield]])<br/>05666 ([[North Montpelier, Vermont|North Montpelier]])<br/>05667 ([[Plainfield, Vermont|Plainfield]])<br/>05682 ([[Worcester, Vermont|Worcester]])
|area_code                = [[Area code 802|802]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 50-11350<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1462062<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.calaisvermont.gov}}
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Calais''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|l|ɪ|s}} is a town in [[Washington County, Vermont|Washington County]], [[Vermont]], United States. The population was 1,661 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5002311350|title=Census - Geography Profile: Calais town, Washington County, Vermont |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 29, 2021}}</ref> Calais contains the unincorporated communities of [[Adamant, Vermont|Adamant]], [[East Calais, Vermont|East Calais]], North Calais, [[Kents Corner Historic District|Kent's Corner]], [[Maple Corner, Vermont|Maple Corner]] and Pekin.

==History==
[[Image:OWC24,12,07.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Old West Church on Christmas Eve]]
Colonel Jacob Davis named Calais after the [[Calais|French port city of the same name]], during a time of general enthusiasm for things French as a result of [[France]]'s aid during the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Swift, Esther Munroe |title=Vermont Place Names: Footprints of History |year=1977 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |pages=451–454 |isbn=0-8289-0291-7}}</ref>

The Wheelocks and Parkers were the first families to settle the town, in the latter part of the 18th century. In the early and mid 19th century, the Vermont [[wool]] industry spawned [[sheep]] pastures in the town. Photographs of the time show a heavily de-forested Calais. Like many small Vermont towns, Calais was devastated by the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Volunteers from Calais flocked to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] cause, most serving in the Army's volunteer regiments. In the post-Civil War era, agriculture turned from sheep to [[dairy farming|dairy]], and new families came to fill farms that were sold by the families and widows of Civil War veterans.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

===Historical landmarks===
<!---these need to be unbulletized and discussed in terms of history. If they can't be, they should probably be deleted--->
* [[Kents Corner Historic District|Kents Corner]]<ref name="Central Vermont -- Map">{{cite web|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/travel/centralvermont/map.htm|title=Central Vermont -- Map|website=www.cr.nps.gov}}</ref>
* [[Old West Church (Calais, Vermont)|Old West Church]]<ref name="Central Vermont -- Map"/>
* [[Maple Corner, Vermont|Maple Corner]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maplecorner.net|title=Maple corner|website=maplecorner.net|access-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010306082237/http://www.maplecorner.net/|archive-date=March 6, 2001|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Robinson Saw Mill
* Adamant Co-op<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vaics.org/vaics-adamant.html|title=Vaics.com|website=vaics.org|access-date=January 31, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209142816/http://www.vaics.org/vaics-adamant.html|archive-date=February 9, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Village histories===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2010}}
Calais once had a village called [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodom]]. This name was allegedly given because the village had no church, though it did have a few active [[quarry|quarries]]. In 1905, the residents petitioned the state legislature to change the name to [[Adamant]], chosen to suggest the hardness of [[granite]].

Pekin is named after Peking (now [[Beijing]]), [[China]], the result of a local farmer who had a friend who was a [[missionary]] to China. The missionary sent some Chinese wheat back to Vermont, the farmer planted it, and it flourished. It became the style to give directions using the wheat field as a landmark ("up by the Pekin wheat", or "just past the Pekin wheat"). Eventually, the location of the field came to be known simply as Pekin. Another version suggests that the missionary sent back rice, and that the farmer planted the rice in a low-lying plain, which flooded each spring. The river came to be known as Peking Brook, later and presently Pekin Brook.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 38.6&nbsp;square miles (99.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 38.0&nbsp;square miles (98.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.6&nbsp;square mile (1.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (1.45%) is water.

The following bodies of water are within the town: Curtis Pond,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songseek.com/picturenet/photos/vermont_outdoors_fall/image15.htm|title=Curtis Pond swimming area|website=www.songseek.com}}</ref> Nelson Pond,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://picasaweb.google.com/jonflan/NelsonPond2007/photo#5106136469633294354|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519124706/http://picasaweb.google.com/jonflan/NelsonPond2007/photo#5106136469633294354|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 19, 2011|title=Google.com|website=google.com}}</ref> Bliss Pond, and #10 Pond, also known as Mirror Lake.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1800= 443
|1810= 841
|1820= 1111
|1830= 1539
|1840= 1709
|1850= 1410
|1860= 1409
|1870= 1309
|1880= 1253
|1890= 1062
|1900= 1101
|1910= 1042
|1920= 860
|1930= 812
|1940= 818
|1950= 778
|1960= 684
|1970= 749
|1980= 1207
|1990= 1521
|2000= 1529
|2010= 1607
|2020= 1661
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |accessdate=June 4, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="VTHistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.vermonthistory.org/explorer|title=Vermont History Explorer|accessdate=August 7, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,529 people, 616 households, and 418 families residing in the town.  The [[population density]] was 40.2 people per square mile (15.5/km<sup>2</sup>).  There were 773 housing units at an average density of 20.3 per square mile (7.8/km<sup>2</sup>).  The racial makeup of the town was 96.08% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.33% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.26% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.20% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.39% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.75% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.39% of the population.

There were 616 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were [[marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,083, and the median income for a family was $49,107. Males had a median income of $33,000 versus $27,917 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $20,722.  About 4.9% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable people ==
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· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.
· The article must mention how they are associated with Calais, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited per [[WP:NLIST]]
· Alphabetical by last name please.
· All others will be deleted.
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{{div col}}
* [[J. Ward Carver]], [[Vermont Attorney General]], 1925–1931<ref>{{cite book |date=1937 |title=The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3lYlAQAAMAAJ&q=%22j.+ward+carver%22+%22calais%22 |location=New Providence, NJ |publisher=Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Incorporated |page=1495}}</ref>
* [[Ela Chapin]], state legislator
* [[Kenward Elmslie]] (1929–2022), poet, lyricist, publisher, performer
* [[John M. Gilman]], Minnesota and Ohio state legislator, lawyer<ref>'Aged Lawyer Dies,' '''Minneapolis Journal,''' September 27, 1906, pg. 7</ref>
* [[Marcus D. Gilman]], Vermont legislator, businessman, and historian<ref>'The Bibliography Of Vermont Or A List Of Books And Pamphlets Related To Any Way To The State,' M. D. Gilman-editor, Free Press Association, Burlington, Vermont: 1897, Introduction-H. A. Huse-Vermont State Librarian, Biographical Sketch of Marcus D. Gilman, pg. II-VII</ref>
* [[David Hinton]], author and translator of Chinese poetry<ref>{{cite book |last1=T'ao |first1=Ch'ien (Author) |last2=Hinton |first2=David (Translator) |date=1993 |title=The Selected Poems of T'ao Ch'ien |url=https://archive.org/details/selectedpoemsoft00taoc |url-access=registration |quote=david hinton calais. |location=Port Townsend, WA |publisher=Copper Canyon Press |page=Back cover}}</ref>
* [[Louise Andrews Kent]], author<ref>{{cite book |date=1994 |title=Vermont Life, Volumes 49-50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dGsjAQAAMAAJ&q=%22louise+andrews+kent%22+%22calais%22 |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=Agency of Development and Community Affairs |page=35}}</ref>
* [[John La Touche (lyricist)|John La Touche]], musician and writer
* [[Dora V. Wheelock]] (1847–1923), temperance activist and writer

{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External material==

===Further reading===
* Miller, Peter. ''Vermont People.'' Vermont People Project: 1991. {{ISBN|0-9628064-0-4}}.
* Rodgers, Steve. ''Country Towns of Vermont.'' McGraw-Hill: 1998. {{ISBN|1-56626-195-3}}.
* Strickland, Ron. ''Vermonters: Oral Histories from Down Country to the Northeast Kingdom.'' University Press of New England: 1986. {{ISBN|0-87451-867-9}}.
* Swift, Esther Monroe. ''Vermont Place Names: Footprints of History.'' The Stephen Greene Press: 1996 {{ISBN|0-8289-0291-7}}.
* Van Susteren, Dirk, ''A Vermont Century: Photography and Essays from the Green Mountain State.'' Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus: 1999. {{ISBN|0-932754-99-6}}.

== External links ==

* {{Official website|http://www.calaisvermont.gov|Town of Calais official website}}
* [http://www.calaisschool.org Calais Elementary School]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120226142056/http://www.resources.calais.us/ Calais Resource Guide]

{{Washington County, Vermont}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Calais, Vermont| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Vermont]]
[[Category:Towns in Washington County, Vermont]]