Arlington, Vermont

Arlington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census.

History

The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire Grants. In 1777, Arlington became the first capital of the Vermont Republic.

Among the first settlers in Arlington were Captain Jehiel Hawley and his family, who had settled there by 1764. They were Anglicans and had fled Roxbury, Connecticut, because of the oppressive requirements of the established Congregational church. At a Proprietor's meeting in 1764, the town voted to give of land to any man who would set up a gristmill in what is now East Arlington. This offer was accepted by Remember Baker (first cousin of Ethan Allen), who built a grist and sawmill.

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, both New York and New Hampshire laid claim to lands comprising current-day Vermont. The Province of New York began to grant land in 1765, lagging New Hampshire by four years. Arlington was, for the most part, settled by Anglicans from Roxbury, Newtown, and Milford, Connecticut, with ownership rights derived from the New Hampshire Grants.

When settlers with New York grants arrived, conflicts ensued. Among other things, the residents of Arlington relied on the militancy of Ethan Allen to discourage those touting New York grants. Ethan Allen and his group were known by their friends as the Green Mountain Boys. They were relatively effective in promoting the cause of New Hampshire grantees, although legal ownership was not settled monetarily for many years.

Several members of the Green Mountain Boys lived in Arlington before the American Revolution, including Thomas Chittenden, Seth Warner and Remember Baker, who was the first town clerk. Gideon Hard, a congressman from New York, was born in Arlington. During the American Revolutionary War, the Patriot soldiers of the Green Mountain Boys rallied against Loyalist opposition in the town. British Loyalist citizens in Arlington, united under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Adams, organized an independent military unit, Adams' Rangers, to support the British war effort in the region. In 1777, Adams' men saw action, fighting for British General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga in the Province of New York and were soundly defeated.

Geography

Arlington lies in the Valley of Vermont between the Taconic Range to the west and the Green Mountains to the east, with most of Arlington's land mass lying in the Taconic Range. Five prominent peaks are located within the town: Grass Mountain, Spruce Peak, The Ball (also locally referred to as West Mountain), Red Mountain, and Big Spruce Mountain. The highest peak is Grass Mountain at elevation .

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.45%, is water. The Battenkill, famous for trout fishing, flows through the center of town.

File:Battenkill in Arlington, Vermont.jpg|The Battenkill as it flows through West Arlington

File:West Arlington Fog.JPG|Fog over the Battenkill in West Arlington

</gallery>

</div>

Demographics

As of the census

Economy

One of the largest employers for residents of Arlington is the Orvis company in neighboring Sunderland.

Mack Moulding is the largest employer in Arlington by far. Orvis has its offices in Sunderland and a retail outlet in Manchester Center.

Notable people

<!-- Note:

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.

· The article must mention how they are associated with Arlington, whether born, raised, or residing.

· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.

· Alphabetical by last name please.

· All others will be deleted.

-->

Samuel Adams, early Vermont settler and British Loyalist
Remember Baker, early Vermont settler and Green Mountain Boy
Holly Bakke, Former New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance
Alec Baldwin, Actor (secondary residence)
Thomas Chittenden, first governor of Vermont and first and third governor of the Vermont Republic
Martin Chester Deming, businessman and member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Chick Evans, baseball player
Dorothy Canfield Fisher, educator; credited with bringing the Montessori method to the US
Michael J. Fox lived in Arlington, also, was married in Arlington
Gideon Hard, former U.S. Congressman
Norman Rockwell, painter and illustrator; lived in Arlington
Carl Ruggles, composer and painter
Mead Schaeffer, painter and illustrator for major magazines
Don Trachte, cartoonist known for his work on the comic strip Henry
Seth Warner, early Vermont settler and Green Mountain Boy

References

External links

Town of Arlington official website
VT Living – Arlington Vermont history