Springfield, Vermont

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Springfield
Vermont

Springfield
Chartered 1761 (Vermont)
Located in Windsor County, Vermont
Neighboring Towns

Baltimore

Weathersfield

Claremont, NH

Chester

Springfield

Charlestown, NH

Grafton

Rockingham

Charlestown, NH
Other Neighbors
Cavendish
Geography
Total Area 128.1 km² (49.5 mi²)
Land 127.7 km² (49.3 mi²)
Water 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²)
Demographics
Population (2000) 9,078
Households (2000) 3,886
Families(2000) 2,498

Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,078 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] Economy and history

The Eureka Schoolhouse, Vermont's oldest one-room school
Enlarge
The Eureka Schoolhouse, Vermont's oldest one-room school

Springfield was chartered in 1761. It is located in the center of the Precision Valley region, which was the home of the Vermont machine tool industry.

In 1888, Jones and Lamson Machine Tool moved to Springfield from Windsor, Vermont under the successful leadership of James Hartness. Gaining international renown for precision and innovation, J&L ushered in a new era of precision manufacturing in the area. As knowledge and infrastructure grew to support precision machining, other companies such as the Bryant Chucking Grinder Company and Lovejoy Tool formed, grew, and provided much of the economic engine. The Fellows Gear Shaper company was also located here, taking advantage of water power on the Black River. During World War II, Springfield's production of machine tools was of such importance to the American war effort that the US government ranked Springfield (together with the Cone at Windsor) as the seventh most important bombing target in the country.[1]

Springfield Telescope Makers, the oldest amateur telescope makers' club in the United States, has been headquartered in Springfield since its inception in 1920. The club's clubhouse, Stellafane, has hosted a convention for the geographically scattered club since 1927.

Springfield is also home to the Eureka Schoolhouse, the oldest one-room school in the state of Vermont. Built in 1790, the building was in continuous use until 1900 and was restored in 1968 by the Vermont Board of Historic Sites. The school house was named by its first teacher, David Searle, who, after a long journey through the new frontier was heard to cry "Eureka!" upon reaching the new settlement of Springfield. The name stuck, and "Eureka" can still be found in street and business names throughout Springfield[2].


Several sites in Springfield, including the historic downtown area, have been designated as having historical significance according to the National Register of Historic Places. Among them are the Hartness House (original home of the entrepreneur and governor) and the Gould's Mill Bridge, a steel truss bridge[3].

[edit] Schools

Springfield's public school system consists of three elementary schools, one middle school grades 6-8, one high school grades 9-12 and one technical center offering vocational education for grades 9-12. The schools are overseen by a five member school board elected to three year terms.

There are three elementary schools (grades k-5): Elm Hill School[1], Park Street School[2] and Union Street School[3]

Riverside Middle School[4] is the town's only public middle school (grades 6-8). Springfield High School[5] is the town's only high school.

[edit] Sports

  • Team Name: Cosmos.
  • School Colors: Green and White.

[edit] Springfield High School

Counseling program: The Counseling and Guidance program is available to all students. Counselors work to encourage and support students by helping them to understand their abilities, to identify their interests, and to set goals. Counseling might also involve helping with teachers, helping with school, learning how to get along with others, or making decisions. Springfield High counselors work with students individually, in small groups and in classroom activities. They also present information to students in large groups (class meetings for example) and to students and their parents in evening meetings. The main focus of the program is to help students understand themselves, to set personal, educational, and career goals for themselves, and to make informed, thoughtful decisions. The three counselors begin working with their assigned students in grade nine and follow them all the way through graduation. The counselling curriculum includes activities designed to help students meet the American School Counseling Association's academic, career, and personal/social development standards. [6]

[edit] Other schools

  • Holy Family School[7] is a Roman Catholic grades k-8 parochial school. The school first opened in 1999. In 2006, the Diocese of Burlington announced plans to close the school unless enrollment reached 60 students for the 2006 - 2007 school year. This was not achieved and the school closed on June 7, 2006.[8] Efforts to save the school continue.[9]

[edit] River Valley Technical Center

The River Valley Technical Center [10]is housed in the Howard Dean Education Center[11] and is adjacent to Springfield High School. The RVTC teaches technical courses to the students of Springfield and surrounding towns of Chester, Bellows Falls, Westminster, Ludlow and Charlestown.

[edit] Colleges and universities

Community College of Vermont has a branch in this town, as does the University of Vermont.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.1 km² (49.5 mi²). 127.7 km² (49.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.30%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 9,078 people, 3,886 households, and 2,498 families residing in the town. The population density was 71.1/km² (184.1/mi²). There were 4,232 housing units at an average density of 33.1/km² (85.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.24% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 3,886 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,169, and the median income for a family was $42,620. Males had a median income of $31,931 versus $23,019 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,452. About 8.3% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Wayne G. Broehl, Jr., Precision Valley: The Machine Tool Companies of Springfield, Vermont. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1959) p. 184, citing W. Storrs Lee, The Green Mountains of Vermont (New York: Henry Hold & Company, Inc., 1949) p.76.
  2. ^ Historic Vermont
  3. ^ National Register of Historic Places

[edit] External links

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