Editing Washington, Vermont

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

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Calef library washington vt.png
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Calef Library in Washington
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = washington_vt_highlight.png
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Washington, Vermont
|image_map1               =
|mapsize1                 =
|map_caption1             =
|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        = [[Orange County, Vermont|Orange]]
|parts_type               = Communities
|parts                    = {{ubl|Washington|South Washington|Washington Heights}}

<!-- 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           = 100.7
|area_land_km2            = 100.6
|area_water_km2           = 0.0
|area_total_sq_mi         = 38.9
|area_land_sq_mi          = 38.9
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.0

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 1032
|population_density_km2   = 10.3
|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              = 538
|elevation_ft             = 1765
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|5|0|N|72|25|19|W|region:US-VT|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 05675 (Washington)<br />05038 ([[Chelsea, Vermont|Chelsea]])<br />05086 ([[West Topsham, Vermont|West Topsham]])<br />05641 ([[Barre (city), Vermont|Barre]])<br />05654 ([[Graniteville, Vermont|Graniteville]])<br />05679 ([[Williamstown, Vermont|Williamstown]])
|area_code                = [[Area code 802|802]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 50-76750<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1462243<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  =
|footnotes                =
}}
'''Washington''' is a town in [[Orange County, Vermont|Orange County]], Vermont, in the United States. The population was 1,032 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5001776750|title=Census - Geography Profile: Washington town, Orange County, Vermont|access-date=January 7, 2022}}</ref> The town is believed to be named after [[George Washington]], although the town may also be named after [[Washington, Connecticut]], as there are records of individuals moving from that town in Connecticut to [[Vermont]] around 1766.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bartholomew |first=George Wells Jr. |date=1885 |title=Record of the Bartholomew Family: Historical, Genealogical, Biographical |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2EAAAAAMAAJ |location=Salem, MA |publisher=Salem Press |page=79 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

==History==

During the 1760s and 1770s, the territory now known as [[Vermont]] was in dispute between [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[New Hampshire]], the result of conflicting interpretations of each colony's charter.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Conley |editor1-first=Patrick T. |editor2-last=Kaminiski |editor2-first=John P. |date=1992 |title=The Bill of Rights and the States: The Colonial and Revolutionary Origins of American Liberties |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6yyQXl4LmdAC&pg=PA190 |location=Madison, WI |publisher=Madison House |pages=183–184 |isbn=978-0-9456-1229-2 |via=[[Google Books]] |ref={{sfnRef|''The Bill of Rights and the States''}}}}</ref> People moving into the territory, then known as New Connecticut or the New Hampshire Grants, generally settled after purchasing land grants from New Hampshire governor [[Benning Wentworth]].{{sfn|''The Bill of Rights and the States''|page=189}} When the British government resolved the dispute in New York's favor, New York attempted to assert control by forcing residents who had purchased grants from Wentworth to pay a fee to confirm their titles, otherwise face eviction.{{sfn|''The Bill of Rights and the States''|pages=189–190}} Many Vermonters resisted, leading to creation of the [[Green Mountain Boys]].{{sfn|''The Bill of Rights and the States''|page=191}}

As part of New York's effort to demonstrate control over the grants, in 1770 it chartered the town of Kingsland far from New York in what was then remote Gloucester County.<ref name="Hall">{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Benjamin Homer |author-link=Benjamin Homer Hall |date=1858 |title=History of Eastern Vermont |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXEUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA161 |location=New York, NY |publisher=D. Appleton & Co. |pages=159–161 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Kingsland had no record of any residents, but was designated as one of two county seats.<ref name="Hall"/> A log jail and courthouse were constructed at the head of a stream subsequently named the Jail Branch.<ref name="Hall"/>

In 1780, the government of Vermont, by then an independent republic, re-chartered Kingsland and named it Washington.<ref>{{cite book |last=Child |first=Hamilton |date=1888 |title=Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762–1888 |volume=Part First |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAcd0xK67osC&pg=RA1-PA499 |location=Syracuse, NY |publisher=Syracuse Journal Company |pages=499–506 |via=[[Google Books]] |ref={{sfnRef|''Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762–1888''}}}}</ref> The town was uninhabited until 1785, when Daniel Morse obtained title to 100 acres.<ref name="Cutter">{{cite book |last=Cutter |first=William Richard |author-link=William Richard Cutter |date=1914 |title=New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial |volume=IV |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itAUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA2181 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company |page=2181 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was soon followed by his brother, John.<ref name="Cutter"/> Other residents continued to arrive, and by 1792, the town was completely organized, with records for 1794 indicating that there were 32 freemen on its voter checklist.<ref>{{cite book |author=Town of Washington, Vermont Planning Commission |date=2021 |title=Washington, Vermont Town Plan |url=https://outside.vermont.gov/agency/ACCD/bylaws/Bylaws%20and%20Plans%20Approved/Washington_Proposed_MunicipalPlan_June_2021.pdf |location=Washington, VT |publisher=Town of Washington, Vermont |pages=4–5 |ref={{sfnRef|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''}}}}</ref>

Centered on the hilltop near the Jail Branch, the town consisted mainly of small sheep farms that produced wool.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} Between 1820 and 1829, there were two fulling mills and one carding mill in operation, and sheep raising peaked around 1830.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} Washington's population peaked at 1400 in 1840, after which there was a steady decline, as wool production decreased due to increasing tariffs and other factors.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} Most farms and homes around the center of town on the hilltop were abandoned, and the center of town relocated downhill and further north, along the Jail Branch and what is now Vermont Route 110.{{sfn|''Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762–1888''|page=47}}<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Walton |editor-first=E. P. |editor-link=Eliakim Persons Walton |date=1880 |title=Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont |volume=VIII |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4-ogAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA379 |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=Joseph Poland |pages=379–380 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

With the arrival of the railroad in the 1850s, the dairy industry expanded as urban markets became accessible.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} By 1895, Washington had enough dairy farms to make the operation of a creamery possible.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} As industries including granite manufacturing grew in nearby towns, the expansion and railroads associated with it bypassed Washington, which remained a low-population rural community centered on agriculture.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}}

By the late twentieth century, small dairy farms were increasingly uncompetitive, and by the 1950s, many of Washington's farms had ceased operation.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} By 1960, Washington's population had declined to 565.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}} Although Washington remains a rural town, most farms are no longer in operation, and it has become a "bedroom community" with residents commuting to work in Barre, Montpelier, Burlington and other cities.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=4–5}}

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 38.9&nbsp;square miles (100.7&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 38.9&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (100.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.03% is water.

Washington is situated south of [[U.S. Route 302]].{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=20}} Adjacent towns are [[Barre (town), Vermont|Barre Town]] to the northwest, [[Orange, Vermont|Orange]] to the north, [[Corinth, Vermont|Corinth]] to the east, [[Chelsea, Vermont|Chelsea]] to the south, and [[Williamstown, Vermont|Williamstown]] to the west.{{sfn|''Washington, Vermont Town Plan''|pages=16, 73}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 72
|1800= 500
|1810= 1040
|1820= 1160
|1830= 1374
|1840= 1359
|1850= 1348
|1860= 1249
|1870= 1113
|1880= 922
|1890= 820
|1900= 820
|1910= 762
|1920= 660
|1930= 697
|1940= 730
|1950= 650
|1960= 565
|1970= 667
|1980= 855
|1990= 937
|2000= 1047
|2010= 1039
|2020= 1032
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 16, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Washington town, Orange County, Vermont |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Washington_town,_Orange_County,_Vermont?g=060XX00US5001776750 |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> of 2020, there were 1,032 people, 522 households, and 371 families residing in the town. There were 557 housing units (of which 442 were occupied and 115 vacant). The racial makeup of the town was 91.38% White alone, 0.68% African American alone, 0.48% Native American alone, 0.58% Asian alone, 0.78% from other races, and 4.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,047 people, 406 households, and 291 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 26.9 people per square mile (10.4/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 528 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 97.23% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.48% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.29% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.81% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 406 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $50,500. Males had a median income of $29,674 versus $28,333 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $18,439. About 3.1% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
* [[Donald Milne]], member and clerk of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Goswami |first=Neal P. |date=January 25, 2016 |title=Donald Milne, longtime House clerk, dies at 81 |url=http://www.vermontpressbureau.com/2016/01/25/donald-milne-former-lawmaker-and-house-clerk-dies-at-81/ |work=Vermont Public Radio |location=Colchester, VT}}</ref>
* [[Marion Milne]], member of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Hallenbeck |first=Terri |date=August 11, 2014 |title=Former state legislator Marion Milne dies |url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/11/former-state-legislator-marion-milne-dies/13924355/ |work=Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT}}</ref>
* [[Scott Milne]], [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for governor [[Vermont gubernatorial election, 2014|in 2014]], U.S. Senator [[United States Senate election in Vermont, 2016|in 2016]], and [[2020 Vermont elections#Lieutenant Governor|lieutenant governor]] in 2020<ref>{{cite news |last=Hirschfeld |first=Peter |date=September 9, 2016 |title=Scott Milne Returns To His Hometown To Officially Launch His Senate Campaign |url=http://digital.vpr.net/post/scott-milne-returns-his-hometown-officially-launch-his-senate-campaign |work=Vermont Public Radio |location=Colchester, VT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Norton |first=Kit |date=November 3, 2020 |title=Newcomer Molly Gray defeats Scott Milne in lieutenant governor's race |url=https://vtdigger.org/2020/11/03/newcomer-molly-gray-defeats-scott-milne-in-lieutenant-governors-race/ |work=VT Digger |location=Montpelier, VT}}</ref>
* [[Daniel Peaslee]], Vermont legislator, judge, and member of the governor's executive council<ref>{{cite book |last=Walton |first=E. P. |date=1878 |title=Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont |volume=VI |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJ06AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA142 |page=142 |location=Montpelier, VT |publisher=J. & J. M. Poland |author-link=Eliakim Persons Walton |ref={{sfnRef|Walton}}}}</ref>
* [[Carl C. Pope]], Wisconsin legislator and jurist, born in Washington<ref>{{cite book |last=Bashford |first=R. M. |date=1877 |title=The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K68GAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA463 |location=Madison, WI |publisher=E. B. Bolens |page=463 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
* [[Heman A. White]], member of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]] and [[Vermont Senate]]<ref name="Ullery">{{cite book |last=Ullery |first=Jacob G |date=1894 |title=Men of Vermont: An Illustrated Biographical History of Vermonters and Sons of Vermont |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002005644159&view=1up&seq=7&skin=2021 |location=Brattleboro, VT |publisher=Transcript Publishing Company |pages=430–431 |via=[[HathiTrust]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/washington.html  Washington information]
* [http://caleflibrary.wordpress.com/  Calef Library]
{{Orange County, Vermont}}

{{authority control}}

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