Middlesex, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Middlesex is a town
in Washington County
, Vermont
, United States
. The population was 1,729 at the 2000 census.
, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103.2 km2), of which, 39.7 square miles (102.7 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) of it (0.53%) is water.
colonial governor Benning Wentworth
. The town takes its boundaries from Waterbury
, incorporated the previous day, and Worcester
, which received its grant the same day as Middlesex. The source of the town's name is uncertain but it is supposed Wentworth, or a staff member, chose the name for its location in the middle of Waterbury and Worcester. Another possibility would be that Wentworth chose Middlesex to seek favor from English nobleman Charles Sackville who held the title Lord Middlesex until 1765, when he became Duke of Dorset.
The town remained largely undeveloped through the period of the Vermont Republic
and early Vermont statehood, with settlements in the village and Putnamville. The Putnam family were among the first settlers of the town. Seth Putnam was elected first town clerk in 1790; brothers Isaac and Jacob Putnam were elected town surveyors.
Middlesex village, situated along the Winooski River
, is the town's chief settlement and location of the town hall. Middlesex Village obtained a post office in 1821 (that office closed in 1966). Middlesex Center is, as the name suggests, in the near center of the town situated northwest of the Great Brook and Brook Road. Shady Rill is rolling, mostly lowland where three brooks-Herrick, Martins, and Patterson, each named for a local family, converge with the North Branch which runs south to Wrightsville and Montpelier. A northern affiliation Baptist Church was built in Shady Rill in 1849. The village of Putnamville is located along the town's eastern border along the North Branch River. A waterfall there once powered grist and saw mills. A post office was opened in Putnamville, incongruously titled Putnamsville, in 1882 (this post office closed in 1935).
Wrightsville, just south of Putnamville, was once a sizable settlement with nearly 30 built structures, and several mills. The Wrightsville Dam, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
1933-35 in response to the 1927 flood caused that settlement to be disbanded. The Northbranch Cemetery was moved southwest to Portal Road, and a majority of the mostly Greek Revival houses were moved west up the hill to where the old Hood place presently stands. Off Portal Road and Bolduc Road is Tangletown Road, which takes its name from an area of town nicknamed Tangletown
because the woods there are so thick and so alike that settlers reported getting "tangled up" (lost) in the area.
The town had a large bear population well into the late nineteenth century. A recorded story tells of a farmer located between Middlesex Center and Bear Swamp finding one of his sheep killed by a bear, the farmer and his wife immediately walked their property to take stock of their flock. The farmer spotted a bear, and killed it, soon after his wife called out that she sighted one and he shot that one, the couple returned to the barnyard and spotted a third bear-this one eating another of their sheep, and the farmer shot that bear as well. The area received the nickname Beartown.
Through most of the nineteenth century and well into the mid-twentieth century, the primary economic activity was farming. Dairy farming, sheep herding (for wool), logging, orchards and maple sugaring have all been part of the town's economy. Following the end of World War II
, the town slowly transitioned to becoming a place to live for people who worked elsewhere, mostly in Montpelier.
of 2000, there were 1,729 people, 663 households, and 485 families residing in the town. The population density
was 43.6 people per square mile (16.8/km2). There were 719 housing units at an average density of 18.1 per square mile (7.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.35% African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.23% Asian, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 663 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were couples living together and joined in either marriage
or civil union
, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,765, and the median income for a family was $58,527. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $30,147 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,965. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
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 Washington County
Washington County, Vermont
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 59,534; Vermont's third-most populous county after Chittenden County and Rutland County. Its shire town is Montpelier, the state capital. The center of population of Vermont is located in Washington...
, 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 1,729 at the 2000 census.
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 39.9 square miles (103.2 km2), of which, 39.7 square miles (102.7 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) of it (0.53%) is water.
History
The town of Middlesex was granted by royal charter on 8 June 1763 by New HampshireNew 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...
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...
. The town takes its boundaries from Waterbury
Waterbury, Vermont
Waterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, in the United States. It is also the name of a village within that town. The population was 4,915 at the 2000 census.-Economy:-Industry:...
, incorporated the previous day, and Worcester
Worcester, Vermont
Worcester is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 902 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.8 square miles , of which 38.8 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
, which received its grant the same day as Middlesex. The source of the town's name is uncertain but it is supposed Wentworth, or a staff member, chose the name for its location in the middle of Waterbury and Worcester. Another possibility would be that Wentworth chose Middlesex to seek favor from English nobleman Charles Sackville who held the title Lord Middlesex until 1765, when he became Duke of Dorset.
The town remained largely undeveloped through the period of the Vermont Republic
Vermont Republic
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of what became modern Vermont from 1777 to 1791. In July 1777 delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and land claims of British colonies in New Hampshire and New York. They also...
and early Vermont statehood, with settlements in the village and Putnamville. The Putnam family were among the first settlers of the town. Seth Putnam was elected first town clerk in 1790; brothers Isaac and Jacob Putnam were elected town surveyors.
Middlesex village, situated along the Winooski River
Winooski River
The Winooski River is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from Lake Champlain through the Green Mountains towards the Connecticut...
, is the town's chief settlement and location of the town hall. Middlesex Village obtained a post office in 1821 (that office closed in 1966). Middlesex Center is, as the name suggests, in the near center of the town situated northwest of the Great Brook and Brook Road. Shady Rill is rolling, mostly lowland where three brooks-Herrick, Martins, and Patterson, each named for a local family, converge with the North Branch which runs south to Wrightsville and Montpelier. A northern affiliation Baptist Church was built in Shady Rill in 1849. The village of Putnamville is located along the town's eastern border along the North Branch River. A waterfall there once powered grist and saw mills. A post office was opened in Putnamville, incongruously titled Putnamsville, in 1882 (this post office closed in 1935).
Wrightsville, just south of Putnamville, was once a sizable settlement with nearly 30 built structures, and several mills. The Wrightsville Dam, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
1933-35 in response to the 1927 flood caused that settlement to be disbanded. The Northbranch Cemetery was moved southwest to Portal Road, and a majority of the mostly Greek Revival houses were moved west up the hill to where the old Hood place presently stands. Off Portal Road and Bolduc Road is Tangletown Road, which takes its name from an area of town nicknamed Tangletown
Tangletown, Vermont
Tangletown is an unincorporated area in Middlesex in Washington County, Vermont, United States, in the central part of the state....
because the woods there are so thick and so alike that settlers reported getting "tangled up" (lost) in the area.
The town had a large bear population well into the late nineteenth century. A recorded story tells of a farmer located between Middlesex Center and Bear Swamp finding one of his sheep killed by a bear, the farmer and his wife immediately walked their property to take stock of their flock. The farmer spotted a bear, and killed it, soon after his wife called out that she sighted one and he shot that one, the couple returned to the barnyard and spotted a third bear-this one eating another of their sheep, and the farmer shot that bear as well. The area received the nickname Beartown.
Through most of the nineteenth century and well into the mid-twentieth century, the primary economic activity was farming. Dairy farming, sheep herding (for wool), logging, orchards and maple sugaring have all been part of the town's economy. Following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the town slowly transitioned to becoming a place to live for people who worked elsewhere, mostly in Montpelier.
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 1,729 people, 663 households, and 485 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 43.6 people per square mile (16.8/km2). There were 719 housing units at an average density of 18.1 per square mile (7.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.35% African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.23% Asian, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 663 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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,...
, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,765, and the median income for a family was $58,527. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $30,147 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 $22,965. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Patrick LeahyPatrick LeahyPatrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
, senior U.S. Senator from Vermont. - Scudder ParkerScudder ParkerScudder Parker is a Democratic politician from Vermont.Parker grew up on a dairy farm in a region of Vermont known as the Northeast Kingdom. Parker attended Union Theological Seminary, and became an ordained minister, like his father and grandfather...
, former state Senator and 2006 Democratic nominee for Governor. - Anthony PollinaAnthony PollinaAnthony Pollina is a Progressive American politician, who has run several times for elected office in the state of Vermont.-1984 US Congressional Election:...
, serial candidate for Governor. - Robert M. FisherRobert M. FisherRobert Miles Fisher , was an American abstract artist in oils, watercolor, charcoal, and welded sculpture.-Biography:...
, 1928-2007, artist