Castleton, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Castleton is a town
in Rutland County, Vermont
, United States
. Castleton is about 15 miles (24.1 km) to the west of Rutland, and about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,717 at the 2010 census. Castleton State College
is located there, with roots dating to 1787. Fort Warren
was located in Castleton.
, the town has a total area of 42.4 square miles (109.8 km²), of which 39 square miles (101 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), or 7.86%, is water.
There are three distinct areas. One is the village, where the post office, town offices, a bank, a general store, a 1940s style diner and a few other commercial enterprises are located. The state college is located on a side street nearby.
Lake Bomoseen is the second area, a 5 miles (8 km) resort and fishing spot, with its post office in Castleton Corners.
The third post office is in Hydeville, an extension of Main Street at the end of Lake Bomoseen.
of New Hampshire
and divided the land into 70 "rights" or "shares". Governor Wentworth retained ownership of two shares, and several others were given for churches and a school. In the spring of 1767, the town’s first settlers, Amos Bird and Noah Lee, arrived in Castleton from Salisbury
, Connecticut
. Castleton's favorite landmark, Birdseye Mountain, is named for Col. Bird. He had acquired 40 shares of land when the town was chartered and built a permanent residence there in the summer of 1769. Three families had settled in Castleton by 1770. More settlers followed, and by 1777 the town consisted of 17 families.
In May of 1775 Ethan Allen
and his Green Mountain Boys
met in Castleton with Benedict Arnold
to plan their next day's attack on Fort Ticonderoga
, 30 miles (48.3 km) west, on the New York side of Lake Champlain
. Their successful capture of the fort was a holding action that lasted two years until the British launched a powerful sweep southward on Lake Champlain. The battle at nearby Hubbardton
, followed by battles at Bennington
and Saratoga, marked the turning point of the Revolutionary War in the North. Although German soldiers
were stationed in Castleton for a time in 1777, they left as the fortunes of the war changed, and Tory
sympathizers were treated with scorn by Castleton settlers.
The first medical school in Vermont
was chartered here in 1818.
Following the war, Castleton continued to grow as an agricultural community. Farmers raised cattle, and then turned for a while to sheep. Saw mills and gristmills were the first industries established in town. During the 19th century the slate
and marble
industries thrived in and around Castleton. The railroad came in 1854, and the last half of the century saw the development of tourism around Lake Bomoseen. In the 19th century Castleton flourished, and many residents built elaborate houses to replace their log cabins and primitive frame houses. Several luxury hotels were built around the west end of the lake. A trolley
system ran from the center of town to Lake Bomoseen, a destination for tourists vacationing during the summer. The Hydeville area flourished in the mid-19th century as a slate quarrying and milling center.
Between 1900 and 1940 several fires occurred in Castleton Village, Castleton Corners and Hydeville, as well as at the lakeside resorts. Despite this destruction of hotels and the original commercial and industrial areas of its villages, the town of Castleton retains an architectural heritage spanning two hundred years of Vermont history. Castleton’s mile-long tree-shaded Main Street, with its array of Federal and Greek Revival style houses and public buildings, many by builder Thomas Royal Dake, has been listed almost in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places
.
of 2000, there were 4,367 people, 1,550 households, and 1,007 families residing in the town. The population density
was 111.9 people per square mile (43.2/km2). There were 2,107 housing units at an average density of 54.0 per square mile (20.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.98% White, 0.09% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 1,550 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were couples living together and joined in either marriage
or civil union
, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was distributed by age with 19.9% under the age of 18, 22.5% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,615, and the median income for a family was $49,091. Males had a median income of $30,958 versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,630. About 3.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
. The station is located behind
Main Street near the post office. The old train stop was renovated early that year, giving the Castleton stop an enclosed building. The train stop runs exclusively on the Ethan Allen Express
line.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Rutland County, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Castleton is about 15 miles (24.1 km) to the west of Rutland, and about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,717 at the 2010 census. Castleton State College
Castleton State College
Castleton State College is a public liberal arts college located in Castleton in the U.S. state of Vermont. Castleton has an enrollment of 2000 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs as well as master’s degrees in education...
is located there, with roots dating to 1787. Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Vermont)
Fort Warren was a fort located in Castleton, Vermont, from 1777-1779. American troops during the American Revolution retreated to Castleton after the loss of Ticonderoga). Fort Warren was then built as part of a line of forts used to defend Vermont....
was located in Castleton.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 42.4 square miles (109.8 km²), of which 39 square miles (101 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), or 7.86%, is water.
There are three distinct areas. One is the village, where the post office, town offices, a bank, a general store, a 1940s style diner and a few other commercial enterprises are located. The state college is located on a side street nearby.
Lake Bomoseen is the second area, a 5 miles (8 km) resort and fishing spot, with its post office in Castleton Corners.
The third post office is in Hydeville, an extension of Main Street at the end of Lake Bomoseen.
History
Castleton was chartered in 1761. The charter for 36 square miles (93.2 km²) of land was granted by Gov. Benning WentworthBenning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and divided the land into 70 "rights" or "shares". Governor Wentworth retained ownership of two shares, and several others were given for churches and a school. In the spring of 1767, the town’s first settlers, Amos Bird and Noah Lee, arrived in Castleton from Salisbury
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwest-most in the State of Connecticut. The MA-NY-CT Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Salisbury...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Castleton's favorite landmark, Birdseye Mountain, is named for Col. Bird. He had acquired 40 shares of land when the town was chartered and built a permanent residence there in the summer of 1769. Three families had settled in Castleton by 1770. More settlers followed, and by 1777 the town consisted of 17 families.
In May of 1775 Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
and his Green Mountain Boys
Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
met in Castleton with Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
to plan their next day's attack on Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
, 30 miles (48.3 km) west, on the New York side of Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
. Their successful capture of the fort was a holding action that lasted two years until the British launched a powerful sweep southward on Lake Champlain. The battle at nearby Hubbardton
Hubbardton, Vermont
Hubbardton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Thomas Hubbard, a landholder. The population was 706 at the 2010 census....
, followed by battles at Bennington
Battle of Bennington
The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War that took place on August 16, 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake Bennington, Vermont...
and Saratoga, marked the turning point of the Revolutionary War in the North. Although German soldiers
Germans in the American Revolution
Ethnic Germans served on both sides of the American Revolutionary War. Many supported the Loyalist cause and served as allies of Great Britain, whose King George III was also the Elector of Hanover...
were stationed in Castleton for a time in 1777, they left as the fortunes of the war changed, and Tory
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathizers were treated with scorn by Castleton settlers.
The first medical school in Vermont
Castleton Medical College Building
Castleton Medical College Building is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on South Street in Castleton, Vermont. It was the first medical college in Vermont.It was built in 1818 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971....
was chartered here in 1818.
Following the war, Castleton continued to grow as an agricultural community. Farmers raised cattle, and then turned for a while to sheep. Saw mills and gristmills were the first industries established in town. During the 19th century the slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
industries thrived in and around Castleton. The railroad came in 1854, and the last half of the century saw the development of tourism around Lake Bomoseen. In the 19th century Castleton flourished, and many residents built elaborate houses to replace their log cabins and primitive frame houses. Several luxury hotels were built around the west end of the lake. A trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system ran from the center of town to Lake Bomoseen, a destination for tourists vacationing during the summer. The Hydeville area flourished in the mid-19th century as a slate quarrying and milling center.
Between 1900 and 1940 several fires occurred in Castleton Village, Castleton Corners and Hydeville, as well as at the lakeside resorts. Despite this destruction of hotels and the original commercial and industrial areas of its villages, the town of Castleton retains an architectural heritage spanning two hundred years of Vermont history. Castleton’s mile-long tree-shaded Main Street, with its array of Federal and Greek Revival style houses and public buildings, many by builder Thomas Royal Dake, has been listed almost in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,367 people, 1,550 households, and 1,007 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 111.9 people per square mile (43.2/km2). There were 2,107 housing units at an average density of 54.0 per square mile (20.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.98% White, 0.09% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 1,550 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were couples living together and joined in either marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
or civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was distributed by age with 19.9% under the age of 18, 22.5% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,615, and the median income for a family was $49,091. Males had a median income of $30,958 versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,630. About 3.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Alexander W. BuelAlexander W. BuelAlexander Woodruff Buel was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Buel was born in Castleton, Vermont and exhibited precocious intellectual abilities...
, Michigan congressman - Edwin DrakeEdwin DrakeEdwin Laurentine Drake , also known as Colonel Drake, was an American oil driller, popularly credited with being the first to drill for oil in the United States.-Early life:...
, oil driller, popularly credited with starting the U.S. oil industry - Chauncey LangdonChauncey LangdonChauncey Langdon was a United States Representative from Vermont. He was born in Farmington, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Yale College in 1787. He also studied law at Litchfield, Connecticut and was admitted to the bar in 1787...
, congressman - Ron PowersRon PowersRon Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. His face include White Town Drowsing: Journeys to Hannibal, Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain, and Mark Twain: A Life...
, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer - Samuel ShawSamuel ShawSamuel Shaw was a United States Representative from Vermont. He was born in Dighton, Massachusetts. He received a limited schooling as a youth. He moved to Putney, Vermont and studied medicine and commenced practice in Castleton in 1789.Shaw was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives...
, congressman
Transportation
In 2009, Castleton began running a depot station through AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
. The station is located behind
Main Street near the post office. The old train stop was renovated early that year, giving the Castleton stop an enclosed building. The train stop runs exclusively on the Ethan Allen Express
Ethan Allen Express
The Ethan Allen Express is a 241-mile passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Rutland, Vermont, via Albany. The total trip is scheduled to be completed in 5.5 hours. Its operations are subsidized by the State of Vermont, and the train is popular among vacationers travelling...
line.
Media references
- The Blue Cat of Castle TownThe Blue Cat of Castle TownThe Blue Cat of Castle Town is a children's novel by Catherine Coblentz, illustrated by Janice Holland. It tells the story of the kitten born under a blue moon whose destiny was to bring the song of the river, with its message of beauty, peace and contentment, to the inhabitants of Castle Town.The ...
(1949), a children's fantasy by Catherine Cate CoblentzCatherine Cate CoblentzCatherine Cate Coblentz was an American writer, best known for her children's books in the 1930s and 1940s.- Life and work :...
, is placed in 1830s Castleton.