Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census.

The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

On December 26, 1753, Colonel Josiah Willard led a proprietors' petition for a Putney charter to be established in the Equivalent Lands. The charter was issued that day by Governor Benning Wentworth – issuer of the New Hampshire Grants under the authority of King George II of Great Britain. Significant settlement of Putney did not begin until after the French and Indian War ended in 1763.

The town arose in a large plain on the west side of the Connecticut River, above the mouth of Sacketts Brook. A falls on the brook provided water power for early mills, and it is around that point that the main village was formed. Because the town did not have abundant sources of water power, it was largely bypassed by the Industrial Revolution of the mid-19th century, and remained largely rural in character. The village's character is defined by the Federal and Greek Revival styles popular during its most significant period of growth, the late 18th to mid-19th century.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.8&nbsp;square miles (69.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 26.76&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (69.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.04% is water. Putney Mountain is the highest point in the town, rising 1,657&nbsp;ft above sea level.

Putney is bordered by Dummerston to the south, Westminster to the north, and Brookline to the west. The Connecticut River serves as the eastern border of Putney, separating the town from Westmoreland, NH. Putney village is in the southern part of the town, along U.S. Route 5 and Sacketts Brook. Putney is approximately north of Brattleboro and northwest of Keene, New Hampshire.

Transportation

U.S. Route 5 and Interstate 91 both pass through Putney, which is accessible from Interstate 91 at Exit 4 on the border of Putney and Dummerston.

The New England Central Railroad has track rights through the town. Amtrak's Vermonter passenger rail line runs through Putney but does not stop in town. The closest stations are Bellows Falls to the north and Brattleboro to the south.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census

  • Putney Central School is the town's public school for Pre-K through grade 8

Notable people

  • George Aiken, US Senator and 64th governor of Vermont
  • Pete Bernhard, musician, member of the band The Devil Makes Three
  • George M. Darrow, horticulturalist and authority on small fruit
  • Fernando Gerassi, painter
  • Bob Gray, Olympic skier
  • William B. Gray, United States Attorney for Vermont
  • William Haile, merchant and politician
  • Carmelita Hinton, progressive educator and founder of The Putney School
  • Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, graduate of The Putney School
  • John Irving, author, Academy Award winner, taught at Windham College
  • Manon Kahle, actress
  • Melissa Leo, actress
  • Prescott Metcalf (1813–1891), eighth mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Errol Morris, documentary filmmaker, MacArthur Fellowship recipient,
  • John Humphrey Noyes, American utopian socialist
  • Peter Shumlin, 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017
  • Cyndy Szekeres, children's book author and illustrator
  • Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  • John Henry Williams, son of baseball legend Ted Williams

Notable places

  • Theophilus Crawford House, a historic house dating from , added to the National Register of Historic Places ("NRHP") in 1995
  • East Putney Brook Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1902, added to the NRHP in 1976 (East Putney)
  • Putney Village Historic District, the historic core of Putney Village, added to the NRHP in 1986
  • Sabin-Wheat Farm, a farmstead establish , added to the NRHP in 2004
  • Sacketts Brook Stone Arch Bridge, known locally as the Hi-Lo Biddy Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1905, added to the NRHP in 1976

<gallery class="center">

File:PutneyVT TheophilusCrawfordHouse.jpg|Theophilus Crawford House

File:PutneyVT SabinWheatFarm.jpg|Sabin-Wheat Farm

File:PutneyVT SackettsBrookStoneArchBridge.jpg|Sacketts Brook Stone Arch Bridge

</gallery>

<gallery class="center" widths="125px" caption="Putney Village Historic District">

File:120 Main Street, Putney, Vermont.jpg|120 Main Street was built in the Greek Revival style now houses Next Stage Arts and the Putney Historical Society

File:Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church, Putney, Vermont.jpg|Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church, formerly the Putney Methodist Church, built in 1842