Sharon is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It had a population of 1,560 at the 2020 census.

Sharon is the birthplace of Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism. The town is also home to The Sharon Academy, an independent middle and high school.

History

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One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was created on August 17, 1761, by a royal charter which King George III of the United Kingdom issued to Governor Benning Wentworth. It was granted to John Taylor and 61 others, many from Sharon, Connecticut. The town was first settled about 1765 by Robert Havens and family. In 1780 during the Revolution, the village was attacked in the Royalton Raid, when a combined British-Mohawk force attacked and burnt the town.

Although the surface of the town is broken, the intervales contain fertile soil, and farming became an important industry. On June 26, 1848, the Vermont Central Railroad opened from White River Junction to Bethel, traversing Sharon and accelerating its development. The White River and its tributaries provided water power for mills. By 1859, when the population reached 1,240, Sharon had 12 sawmills, a gristmill, and a bobbin factory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.1&nbsp;square miles (103.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 39.6&nbsp;square miles (102.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.5&nbsp;square mile (1.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (1.20%) is water. Sharon is drained by the White River and its tributaries.

The town is crossed by Interstate 89 and Vermont routes 14 and 132.

Demographics

As of the census

Sites of interest

  • Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
  • Sharon Historical Society & Museum
  • The Sharon Academy
  • Baxter Memorial Library

Notable people

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  • Jason Downer, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
  • Robby Mook, political campaign strategist, campaign manager for Hillary Clinton
  • Joseph Olshan, American novelist and book publisher
  • Charley Parkhurst, famous stagecoach driver
  • Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
  • John Spaulding, Vermont State Treasurer

References

  • Official site
  • Baxter Memorial Library