Grafton is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 645 at the 2020 census.

History

thumb|200px|left|The Phelps Barn in Grafton

In the early 19th century, sheep raising became popular and multiple woolen mills sprang up along the branches of the Saxtons River. Soapstone was quarried on nearby Bear Mountain. The town became a notable stagecoach hub for traffic across the Green Mountains into Albany, New York. One inn from that era, "the Old Tavern," was founded in 1801. It remains one of the oldest continually operating hotels in the United States. It is now called The Grafton Inn.

Grafton had a population of almost 1,500 just before the American Civil War. It purchased the Old Tavern and many residences in the area. The foundation also established an artisanal cheese business, the Grafton Village Cheese Company, and built a world-class cross-country skiing center at Grafton Ponds that offers a popular mountain biking program for children in the summer months. The restoration efforts attracted new residents from metropolitan New York and Boston.

Etymology

The town was founded as Thomlinson in 1754, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791. The high bidder, who reportedly offered "five dollars and a jug of rum," changed the name to Grafton after his home town of Grafton, Massachusetts.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.4&nbsp;square miles (99.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 38.4&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (99.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.03% is water. The village of Grafton is slightly southeast of the geographic center of the town, in the valley of the Saxtons River.

Demographics

As of the census

  • C. W. Deane. Michigan politician
  • Enoch Hale, army colonel, built the first bridge over the Connecticut River
  • George Van Horn Moseley Jr., World War II airborne commander
  • Samuel B. Pettengill, Indiana congressman, founded Grafton Historical Society
  • Albert J. Pullen, Wisconsin politician
  • Frank E. Putnam, Minnesota politician
  • Danny Roberts, television personality, resided in Grafton
  • Frank Ryan, football quarterback, Yale University athletic director
  • Daisy Turner, African-American storyteller

References

  • Grafton Vermont official town website
  • VT Living Magazine - Town of Grafton