Bakersfield is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Franklin County,
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, United States. The population was 1,273 at the
2020 census.
Geography
Bakersfield is located in southeastern Franklin County, bordered by
Lamoille County
Lamoille County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,945, and it is the third-least populous county in Vermont. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Hyde Park, while Morristow ...
to the southeast.
Vermont Route 108
Vermont Route 108 (VT 108) is a north–south state highway in northern Vermont, United States. Its southern terminus is at VT 100 in Stowe, and its northern terminus is at the Canada–US border in Franklin, where it continues i ...
passes through the center of town, leading north to
Enosburg Falls and south to
Jeffersonville. The unincorporated
village of Bakersfield is in the center of the town.
Vermont Route 36
Vermont Route 36 (VT 36) is a state highway in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. It is an L-shaped highway running south and east from VT 78 in the village of Swanton in the north to VT 108 in the town of Bakersfi ...
leads west from VT 108 in the village center to
St. Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...
, the Franklin County seat.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, Bakersfield has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.24%, is water.
The town is part of the
Missisquoi River
The Missisquoi River is a transboundary river of the east shore of Lake Champlain (via Missisquoi Bay), approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States and southern Quebec in Canada.
It drains a rural area of the northern Green Mount ...
watershed, draining to
Lake Champlain
, native_name_lang =
, image = Champlainmap.svg
, caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada
, coords =
, type =
, ...
. The Cold Hollow Mountains occupy the eastern end of the town, with a high point of just north of the Lamoille County line.
History
Early years
The town history began when Joseph Baker of
Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 Census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...
, the namesake for the village, bought 10,000 acres in 1791. Initial settlers were his son-in-law, Stephen Maynard, and his nephew Jonas Brigham, along with their families. Baker built grist and saw mills on Baker's Pond in 1794. Two years later Maynard built a tavern. In 1797, a school was established in a log cabin at the Post Road and Vermont 108. Five acres were deeded for the development of a town common and burying ground in 1804 by Joseph Baker. Maynard built a Federal style house north of the village to serve as the first post office in 1811.
There were 12 school geographically-accessible districts in Bakersfield in 1839, due to the growth in the area. The town had grown to 1,258 residents in 1840.
Academies
The settlement has been called an "old academy town" for the schools for college-bound students. Public speaking was encouraged for boys. The Bakersfield Academic Association was established in 1839, which built a three-story building to house a Methodist Church and the South Academy.
It was the first building for Bakersfield Academy, which opened in 1840.
Jacob Spaulding was hired as headmaster and Mary, his wife, was a drawing instructor and preceptress. In 1851, there were 271 students from New England, other parts of the United States, and Quebec. They had a staff of 14 people. The academy suffered a loss of reputation when Spaulding left the school in 1852 to become a principal for Barre and its well-endowed academy.
In 1844 by Methodists wanted an academy on the north end of town. Unofficially called North Academy, the principal was Rev. H.J. Moore from northern New York.
The academies closed after a loss of students due to westward expansion, the creation of central public high schools, and the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
In 1870, there were 70 students at Bakersfield Academy. Bakersfield Academy is no longer in existence.
![BrighamAcademy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/BrighamAcademy.JPG)
Brigham Academy was built in 1879, with funding provided by Peter Bent Brigham, who left a $30,000 endowment for education, and his sister Sarah Brigham Jacobs who provided land and a $100,000 endowment for the academy. It was staffed by Jacob Spaulding, Rev. Dr. Wright from Bakersfield and of Oberlin College, and President Buckham of the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
. In 1900, an addition provided additional classroom, laboratories, and a gymnasium. Notable people who attended the academy include
Warren Austin, the first U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and a U.S. senator and members of the Austin family of Highgate. In 1967, it closed as a high school. It continued to offer elementary and middle school education until 1987.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 1,215 people, 439 households, and 326 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 27.2 people per square mile (10.5/km
2). There were 504 housing units at an average density of 11.3 per square mile (4.4/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.86%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.25%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 0.08%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 1.65% from two or more races.
There were 439 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,417, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $22,734 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $15,678. About 6.1% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Calvin H. Blodgett,
mayor of Burlington, Vermont
*
Peter Bent Brigham
Peter Bent Brigham (1807–1877) was an American millionaire businessman, restaurateur, real estate trader, and director of the Fitchburg Railroad. He is best known as a philanthropist for his initial endowment of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital an ...
, businessman, railroad executive, philanthropist, and founding donor of
Peter Bent Brigham Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two f ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and the
Brigham Academy in Bakersfield
*
D. Manfield Stearns, member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
*
Lee Stephen Tillotson,
Adjutant General
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green ...
*
William C. Wilson, Justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Town of Bakersfield official websiteBakersfield Elementary Middle School
{{authority control
Towns in Vermont
Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area
Towns in Franklin County, Vermont