Brownington, Vermont

Brownington, Vermont
—  Town  —
Located in Orleans County, Vermont
Location of Vermont with the U.S.A.
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Vermont
County Orleans
Chartered October 2, 1790
Settled 1796
Organized 1799
Area
 • Total 28.4 sq mi (73.6 km2)
 • Land 28.3 sq mi (73.3 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation 1,025 ft (342 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 885
 • Density 31.3/sq mi (12.1/km2)
 • Households 337
 • Families 239
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 05860
Area code(s) 802
FIPS code 50-09850[1]
GNIS feature ID 1462056[2]

Brownington is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 885 as of the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.4 square miles (73.6 km2), of which 28.3 square miles (73.2 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km2) (0.49%) is water.

Brownington has three unincorporated villages: Brownington, Brownington Center, and Evansville.

The lie of the town is moderate but uneven. The central part of town is somewhat elevated. The Willoughby River flows through the southern part of town. Small streams are found throughout. Brownington Pond is in the north, partly in Derby. Rocks are mostly of the calciferous mica schist, except in the southeastern part, where they are granite. A narrow vein of hornblende schist extends through the central part, from north to south.[3]

Local government

Town

In 2008, the town received its fire department services from the adjacent village of Orleans in the town of Barton.[5]

School District

The local school is part of the OSCU (Orleans Central Supervisory Union). The local school educates students K-6. Brownington pays the OCSU to educate grades 6-12 out of its budget.

History

The town was named after the family Brown. Two chief grantees of Brownington were Daniel and Timothy Brown. There were six other male Browns and one woman, Sarah.[6]

Until 1816, court convened here, alternating with Craftsbury, both shire towns of the county, after which the legislature changed the county seat to Irasburg.

Alexander Twilight built Athenian Hall, now called the Old Stone House[7] as a dormitory for a boarding academy in 1836.[8] It is a museum today.[9]

Part of the museum complex is The Samuel Read Hall House, located on the Hinman Settler Road. This Federal-style building was completed in 1831 and for about twenty years was the home of Hall, a pioneer in the field of American education.[10][11]

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 885 people, 337 households, and 239 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.3 people per square mile (12.1/km2). There were 450 housing units at an average density of 15.9 per square mile (6.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.06% White, 0.45% African American, 1.24% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population.

There were 337 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,667, and the median income for a family was $37,721. Males had a median income of $26,210 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,004. About 10.8% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 25.3% of those age 65 or over.

Cultural events

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Child, Hamilton. (May 1887). Gazetteer of Lamoille and Orleans Counties, VT.; 1883-1884. Hamilton Child. 
  4. ^ School budget passes, but not without discussion,The Chronicle,March 7, 2007, page 2A
  5. ^ Creaser, Richard (January 28, 2009). Water budget calls for higher rates. the Chronicle. 
  6. ^ Esther Munroe Swift. Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History,Publisher: S. Greene Press (July 26, 1996) ISBN 0828902917 ISBN 978-0828902915
  7. ^ Old Stone House Museum website
  8. ^ http://www.historicvermont.org/markers retrieved June 30, 2007
  9. ^ Discover the Barton Area. Barton Area Chamber of Commerce,undated, referenced February 2007
  10. ^ Creaser, Richard (June 20, 2007). Up in flames is new exhibit at Old Stone House. the Chronicle. 
  11. ^ Times Argus: Kingdom
  12. ^ Clan of the Hawk webpage
  13. ^ Widwind.com retrieved August 4, 2007
  14. ^ Essaff, Paul (2007). Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Things To Do & Places to Go. Paul Essaff. 
  15. ^ Travel the Kingdom

External links