Ryegate is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,165 at the 2020 census. The town contains the villages of South Ryegate, East Ryegate, and Ryegate Corner.

History

thumb|left|South Ryegate in 1909

One of the New Hampshire Grants, it was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth on September 8, 1763. Granted to Richard Jenness and 93 others, it was named Ryegate, a variant spelling of Reigate in Surrey, England. The first settlers were Aaron Hosmer and his family. Sold to John Witherspoon and others, the southern half of town was purchased in 1773 by two agents for the Scotch American Company of Farmers from Renfrew and Lanark, Scotland, whose members began settlement in 1774.

The town had excellent soil for the cultivation of grains, vegetables and orchards. Streams teemed with salmon and trout. Hills and valleys provided pasturage for grazing sheep and cattle. Connected in 1847 to the Connecticut & Passumpsic Rivers Railroad, the town by 1859 was noted for producing butter and leather. The Wells River supplied water power for one gristmill and five sawmills. In 1873, the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad was completed. In 1890, a big brickyard opened; then in 1906, the Ryegate Paper Company began operation. But the town's dominant industry was six granite quarries at Blue Mountain.

Geography

thumb|left|Built in 1808 by Scottish settlers, the [[Whitehill House is the oldest surviving home in Ryegate]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.80%, is water. Bounded on the east by the Connecticut River (the boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire), Ryegate is drained by the Wells River. Blue Mountain, the highest point in the town, has an elevation of above sea level.

The town is crossed by Interstate 91, U.S. Route 5, and U.S. Route 302. It is bordered by the town of Newbury to the south, Groton to the west, and Barnet to the north. To the east, across the Connecticut River lies Bath, New Hampshire.

Demographics

As of the census BMU is located on Route 302 (Exit 17 off Interstate-91), just east from P & H Truckstop.

The Blue Mountain Union School District was formed in November 1964 merging the Wells River Graded School District, the Groton Town School District, and the Ryegate Town School District. This merger resulted in the closing of five local schools: Groton School, Wells River School, South Ryegate School, Ryegate Corner School, and East Ryegate School. The merger also removed the option for high school choice in the town of Ryegate, in favor of attending the new union high school. Although the merger was approved in 1964, there was a lengthy legal battle regarding the formation of the district, and the new district did not operate a school building until 1970.

On July 1, 2018, the State Board of Education temporarily reassigned the Blue Mountain Union School District to Orange East Supervisory under the Act 46 school district consolidation law. Merger plans and implementation continue following lawsuits and local district votes. Blue Mountain is, now, a part of the Orange East Supervisory Union.

Notable people

  • Alexander Dunnett, US Attorney for Vermont
  • John Zampieri, member of the Vermont House of Representatives

References

  • A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
  • Edward Miller & Frederick P. Wells, History of Ryegate, Vermont; St. Johnsbury, Vermont 1913
  • Town of Ryegate official website
  • Virtual Vermont – Ryegate, Vermont
  • Ryegate, Vermont Genealogical History