Middlebury (town), Vermont
Encyclopedia
Middlebury is a town in and the shire town (county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

) of Addison County
Addison County, Vermont
Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. In 2010, the population was 36,821. Its shire town is Middlebury.-Geography:...

, 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...

. The population was 8,496 at the 2010 census. Middlebury is home to both Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

 and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

History


One of the New Hampshire grants
New Hampshire Grants
The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...

, Middlebury was chartered by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning 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...

 on November 2, 1761. The name Middlebury came from its location in the middle of Salisbury
Salisbury, Vermont
Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.1 square miles , of which 29.1 square miles is land and 1.0 square mile is water...

 and New Haven
New Haven, Vermont
New Haven is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,666 at the 2000 census. New Haven contains the village of Belden as well as Brooksville, New Haven Junction and New Haven Mills.-Geography:...

. It was awarded to John Evarts and 62 others. The French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...

 ended in 1763, and the first settlers arrived in 1766. John Chipman cleared his lot seven, it was the first clearing. During the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, much of the town was burned in Carleton's Raid
Carleton's Raid (1778)
Carleton's Raid was a British raid led by Major Christopher Carleton during the American War of Independence, conducted in fall 1778 from the Province of Quebec against targets in upstate New York and the Vermont Republic.-Prelude:...

 on November 6, 1778. After the war concluded in 1783, settlers returned to rebuild homes, clear forests and establish farms. Principal crops were grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...

s and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

.

Landowners vied for the lucrative honor of having the village center grow on their properties. A survey dispute with Salisbury
Salisbury, Vermont
Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.1 square miles , of which 29.1 square miles is land and 1.0 square mile is water...

 led to the forfeiture of Gamaliel Painter's farm to that town, and his transition from farming to developing Middlebury Village near his and Abisha Washburn's mill, together with other mills that surrounded the Otter Creek falls. Industries would include a cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 factory, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

, gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

, pail factory, paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...

, woolen
Woolen
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...

 factory, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

, 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...

 quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

. The Rutland & Burlington Railroad first arrived on September 1, 1849. Around 1830, Middlebury was the second largest town in Vermont state.

Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

, one of the United State's elite liberal arts colleges, was founded here in 1800. It is a member of the NESCAC. In the summer, the town plays host to the annual Middlebury College language schools, as well as the college's Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is a writers' conference held every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, near Bread Loaf Mountain, east of Middlebury, Vermont...

, the oldest surviving conference of its kind in the nation.

On October 22, 2007, central Middlebury was evacuated for a short time because of a train derailment; the Middlebury Union Middle School
Middlebury Union Middle School
The Middlebury Union Middle School is in Middlebury, Vermont. The school services the towns of Middlebury, Ripton, Weybridge, Shoreham, Bridport, Salisbury, and Cornwall. The school population is about 350 7th and 8th graders...

 served as the evacuation headquarters.

The television comedy 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...

 used downtown Middlebury's picturesque Main Street as a visual stand-in for a fictional Pennsylvania town in Episode 210
Episode 210
The untitled tenth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC network. The episode was written by show runner Robert Carlock and Donald Glover, and was directed by Richard Shepard...

.

Today, as the largest town by population in Addison County, Middlebury serves as the commercial and business center for the region. Downtown hosts a three-screen movie theater, the post office, and two historic inns, as well as many shops and restaurants. There is considerable development along U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...

 heading south of town, including Shaws and Hannaford
Hannaford Bros. Co.
Hannaford is an American supermarket chain based in Scarborough, Maine. Founded in 1883, Hannaford now operates stores in New England and upstate New York. Formerly known as Shop 'N' Save, Hannaford is owned by the American subsidiary of the Belgian Delhaize Group, Delhaize America, which owns over...

 supermarkets, two drugstores, most of the town's gas stations, and several fast-food spots. Of note is Middlebury's A&W
A&W Restaurants
A&W Restaurants, Inc., is a chain of fast-food restaurants, distinguished by its draft root beer and root beer floats. A&W was arguably the first successful food franchise company, starting franchises in 1921 in California. Today it has franchise locations throughout the world, serving a typical...

; Vermont's only remaining car-hop restaurant and a popular spot with both locals and Middlebury College students.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 39.2 square miles (101.4 km2), of which 39.0 square miles (101.1 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km2) (0.36%) is water. Middlebury is drained by Otter Creek, which flows from south to north along the western edge of the town, with the falls at the center of the village. The Middlebury River flows west to Otter Creek out of the mountains. Chipman Hill, a hill of glacial till
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

, rises 450 feet (140 m) above the village just to the northeast. Foothills of the Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...

 border the town to the east, with the Champlain Valley
Champlain Valley
The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending slightly into Quebec, Canada as part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin drained northward by the Richelieu River into the St...

 to the west.

Middlebury is crossed by U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...

, Vermont Route 23
Vermont Route 23
Vermont Route 23 is a state highway in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It is maintained by the towns of Middlebury and Weybridge and runs north from VT 125 in Middlebury to VT 17 in Weybridge.-Route description:...

, Vermont Route 30
Vermont Route 30
Vermont Route 30 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Considered one of Vermont's most scenic roadways, it runs from Brattleboro, Vermont in the south to Middlebury, Vermont in the north...

, Vermont Route 116
Vermont Route 116
Vermont Route 116 is a state highway in Vermont. It travels north from U.S. Route 7 in Middlebury, where it almost immediately intersects Vermont Route 125, then runs concurrently with Vermont Route 17 through much of the town of Bristol...

, and Vermont Route 125
Vermont Route 125
Vermont Route 125 is a state highway in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It runs east from VT 17 in Addison, near Lake Champlain, to VT 100 in Hancock. It passes through the Green Mountain National Forest and over Middlebury Gap. This route was once VT 19.-Major intersections:...

. It borders the towns of New Haven
New Haven, Vermont
New Haven is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,666 at the 2000 census. New Haven contains the village of Belden as well as Brooksville, New Haven Junction and New Haven Mills.-Geography:...

 and Bristol
Bristol, Vermont
Bristol is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was founded June 26, 1762. The population was 3,788 at the 2000 census. Main Street is home to most of the businesses of the town...

 to the north, Ripton
Ripton, Vermont
Ripton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 556 at the 2000 census. The Bread Loaf Writer's Conference is held annually in Ripton. Jessica Ravitz of CNN said that the town "is the kind of place where cell service fails more often than it works and the country...

 to the east, Cornwall
Cornwall, Vermont
Cornwall is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded November 3, 1761. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 and Weybridge
Weybridge, Vermont
Weybridge is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 824 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.6 square miles , of which 17.0 square miles is land and 0.6 square mile is...

 to the west, and Salisbury
Salisbury, Vermont
Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.1 square miles , of which 29.1 square miles is land and 1.0 square mile is water...

 to the south. A new bridge connecting Cross Street to Bakery Lane opened in November 2010 to serve as a shortcut and
alleviate traffic through downtown.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 8,183 people, 2,657 households, and 1,533 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 209.7 people per square mile (80.9/km2). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 71.9 per square mile (27.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.27% White, 1.09% Black or African American
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...

, 0.28% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.66% 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 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 2,657 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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,...

, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 18.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,723, and the median income for a family was $46,691. Males had a median income of $32,645 versus $25,994 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 $17,926. About 5.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Public

  • Mary Hogan Elementary, Grades K-6
  • Middlebury Union Middle School
    Middlebury Union Middle School
    The Middlebury Union Middle School is in Middlebury, Vermont. The school services the towns of Middlebury, Ripton, Weybridge, Shoreham, Bridport, Salisbury, and Cornwall. The school population is about 350 7th and 8th graders...

    , Grades 7-8
  • Middlebury Union High School, Grades 9-12

Private


Medical Care

Middlebury and the surrounding area (Addison County) is served by Porter Medical Center
Porter Medical Center
Porter Medical Center, also known as Porter Hospital, was dedicated on June 15, 1925 and is located at 115 Porter Drive, Middlebury, Vermont....

.

Notable people

  • Julia Alvarez
    Julia Álvarez
    Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.Alvarez rose to...

    , author.
  • Joseph Battell
    Joseph Battell
    Joseph Battell was a publisher and philanthropist from Middlebury, Vermont. Battell is credited with preserving Vermont forest land including the land for Camel's Hump State Park. Battell edited a newspaper and authored several books, including the "American Morgan Horse Registry"...

    , publisher and philanthropist.
  • Thomas Treadwell Davis
    Thomas Treadwell Davis
    Thomas Treadwell Davis was a United States Representative from New York during the latter half of the American Civil War and the subsequent beginning of Reconstruction.-Early life and education:...

    , congressman.
  • John Deere, inventor and manufacturer.
  • James Rood Doolittle
    James Rood Doolittle
    James Rood Doolittle was an American politician who served as a senator from the state of Wisconsin from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of President Abraham Lincoln's administration during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Born in Hampton, New York,...

    , senator from Wisconsin.
  • Jim Douglas
    Jim Douglas
    James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote...

    , former governor of Vermont.
  • Ronald D. Liebowitz
    Ronald D. Liebowitz
    Ronald D. Liebowitz is the current president of Middlebury College, and a professor of geography. He was named the College's sixteenth president in April 2004, succeeding John McCardell, Jr. on July 1, 2004....

    , president of Middlebury College
    Middlebury College
    Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

    .
  • John M. McCardell, Jr., president emeritus and professor at Middlebury College
    Middlebury College
    Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

    .
  • James Meacham
    James Meacham
    James Meacham was a United States Representative from Vermont. He was born in Rutland, Vermont. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1832 and taught in the seminary at Castleton, Vermont. In addition, he attended the local academy at St. Albans, Vermont and attended Andover Theological...

    , congressman.
  • Edward John Phelps
    Edward John Phelps
    Edward John Phelps was a lawyer and diplomat from Vermont. Born in Middlebury, he graduated from Middlebury College in 1840, studied law at Yale University, and began practicing in 1843.-Schooling:...

    , lawyer and diplomat.
  • Samuel S. Phelps
    Samuel S. Phelps
    Samuel Shethar Phelps was a United States Senator from Vermont. He was a member of the Whig Party.Phelps was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. He studied at Yale University and served as a military paymaster during the War of 1812. He then settled in Middlebury, Vermont and became a lawyer, soon...

    , senator.
  • William H. Porter
    William H. Porter
    William Henry Porter was a prominent banker in New York City. He was born at Middlebury, Vermont, and died in New York City on November 30, 1926.-Banking Career:...

    , banker.
  • Steven C. Rockefeller
    Steven C. Rockefeller
    Steven Clark Rockefeller , a fourth-generation member of the Rockefeller family and a former dean of Middlebury College, is a philanthropist who focuses on education, Planned Parenthood, human rights and environmental causes....

    , religion professor and son of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller.
  • Patricia Ross
    Patricia Ross
    Patricia Ross is an American former cross country skier who competed from 1982 to 1984. She attended the University of New Hampshire and skied for the 'Cats...

    , cross country skier.
  • Horatio Seymour
    Horatio Seymour (Vermont)
    Horatio Seymour was a United States Senator from Vermont. He was the uncle of Origen S. Seymour and the great-uncle of Origen's son Edward W. Seymour....

    , senator.
  • Patty Sheehan
    Patty Sheehan
    Patty Sheehan is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won six major championships and 35 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame....

    , golfer.
  • William Slade
    William Slade
    William Slade jr. was an American Whig and Anti-Masonic politician.He was born in Cornwall, Vermont, May 9, 1786; attended the public schools, and was graduated from Middlebury College in 1807; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1810 and commenced practice in Middlebury; engaged in editorial...

    , congressman and governor of Vermont.
  • David Allen Smalley
    David Allen Smalley
    David Allen Smalley Born in Middlebury, Vermont, Smalley read law and practiced in Jericho, Vermont where he was postmaster from 1831 to 1836. Moving first to Lowell, Vermont he settled in Burlington, Vermont in 1836...

    , judge.
  • John Wolcott Stewart
    John Wolcott Stewart
    John Wolcott Stewart was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. He served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives and as the 33rd Governor of Vermont before serving in the United States House of Representatives and briefly in the United States Senate.Born in Middlebury,...

    , senator and congressman.
  • James M. Warner
    James M. Warner
    James Meech Warner was a New England manufacturer and a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

    , manufacturer and general.
  • Emma Willard
    Emma Willard
    Emma Hart Willard was an American women’s rights activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women’s higher education, the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York...

    , women's rights advocate and school founder.
  • Isaac Wilson, congressman.

Middlebury in Popular Culture

A shot of Middlebury, Vermont appears as stock footage in the 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...

 episode "Episode 210
Episode 210
The untitled tenth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock was first broadcast in the United States on January 10, 2008, on the NBC network. The episode was written by show runner Robert Carlock and Donald Glover, and was directed by Richard Shepard...

"
The bridge over the waterfall appears in the film "Me Myself and Irene"
A shot of the Waybury Inn in East Middlebury was used in the opening of the TV series "Newhart".

Further reading


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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