Island Pond, Vermont
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Island Pond" is also the name of several bodies of water. See Island Pond (disambiguation).
Island Pond is a census-designated place and village located in the town of Brighton, Vermont. The population was 849 at the 2000 census.
Island Pond was the birthplace of popular singer and entertainer Rudy Vallee and United States Senator Porter H. Dale.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²). 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (7.32%) is water.
Bluff Mountain is also an important part of the town. It's beauty overlooks the lake and the island. There is access to hike Bluff at the top of Mountain Street or across the railroad tracks down by the elementary school (many others also).
It's worth mentioning that at the base of Bluff Mountain there is, at the top of Walnut Street, a large pine tree grove (the "Pines). Children have for many generations forged beautiful hand crafted hiking paths and trails that guide one up through the cliffs and up onto the old logging road. The logging road can be followed to ascend the Bluff. Recently "The Pines" have been infiltrated with real estate development, ending the peaceful quiet setting. Many believe preservation of the area is of utmost importance for future children of the town, "Island Ponders" and others.
The Saint Mary's Catholic church is a historical building in the town. It is up on "the hill" on Walnut Street.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 849 people, 374 households, and 228 families residing in the village. The population density was 78.4/km² (202.9/mi²). There were 556 housing units at an average density of 51.4/km² (132.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.23% White, 0.12% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.59% Asian, and 4.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population.
There were 374 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $25,547, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $25,577 versus $23,542 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,207. About 14.9% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] The Twelve Tribes
Island Pond became the home of the Twelve Tribes when the religious movement relocated to Island Pond from Tennessee in 1977. Though the group sought shelter from the opposition it met elsewhere, it continually faced opposition, which culminated in the Island Pond raid in 1984, where State Police and state social workers seized 112 children due to allegations of child abuse. The subsequent trial found no evidence of child abuse, and the children were returned. Nevertheless, the Island Pond Raid retains its notoriety.[1]
[edit] Notable residents
- Porter H. Dale, U.S. Representative and a Senator from Vermont.
- Rudy Vallée, popular American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.
- Constable Theodore Miller, Current town Constable. Infamous for ticketing more of Vermont's drivers for speeding than any other. The elderly/retired residents seem to vote him in each year; much to the dismay of the remainder of the town. Many believe Mr. Miller should retire; due to his alleged obnoxious attitudes and corrupt politics.
 |
State of Vermont Montpelier (capital) |
|---|---|
| Topics |
Constitution | Culture | Geography | Government | History | Images | Towns | Villages in Vermont |
| Regions |
Champlain Valley | Green Mountains | Mount Mansfield | Northeast Kingdom |
| Counties |
Addison | Bennington | Caledonia | Chittenden | Essex | Franklin | Grand Isle | Lamoille | Orange | Orleans | Rutland | Washington | Windham | Windsor |
| Cities |
Barre | Burlington | Montpelier | Newport | Rutland | South Burlington | St. Albans | Vergennes | Winooski |
History
Island Pond became an important railroad center in 1853 when the Grand Trunk Railway established international connections between Montreal, Canada and Portland, Maine. The half-way point in the Portland-Montreal railroad line, this town became a booming railroad center with a roundhouse, shops, and all the facilities associated with train operations. In 1923 the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada was bankrupt and taken over by the Canadian government and operated as the Canadian National Railways. With the Canadian government directing the railroad, political considerations soon outweighed the economics of the railroad; commerce was displaced from the Port of Portland, Maine to the Canadian ports of Halifax and St. John. The importance of the Portland line then began a decline which was never to be reversed. Island Pond's days as a major railroad town were over by the late 1950s due to the elimination of steam locomotives. By 1960 passenger train service to Portland had ended, and three years later the diesel locomotive shop was closed. In 1966 the roundhouse closed, and barely a skeleton staff of people worked in Island Pond. Through freight train service between Montreal and Portland lasted until 1988; the line was sold to a short line operator the following year.
Today, only the passenger station remains and is used by a bank; an historical society is housed on the upper floors. The glory days of the Grand Trunk Railway are long over, but the memories are alive in the Island Pond Historical Society.
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/tribes.html article on the website of the University of Virginia, note: the articles on individual religious groups were mostly written by students with as a result highly varying degrees of quality
