Ludlow is an incorporated

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

within the

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 ...

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

, Windsor 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. It is sometimes called Ludlow Village, to distinguish it from the surrounding town of the same name. The population was 773 at the 2020 census.

History

Ludlow Woolen Mills is a prominent feature of the village and its history. The

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

was first built for

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) 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. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

manufacture in 1834 and operated until 1837, when the business failed in the economic panic of that year. After sitting vacant for a time, it was sold and had resumed operation by 1853. The mill complex, by then including a machine shop,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

, and boardinghouse, changed hands again in 1856 and 1864. The original building, which was five stories tall, burned in 1865 and was rebuilt as the three-story brick building that remains today. By 1885 it was known as the "Ludlow Woolen Company" and included sections for spinning, carding,

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

, dressing, finishing and

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular c ...

wool. In 1899, it employed 130 people and produced 150,000 yards of wool cloth annually. Early in the 20th century the mill took the name "Verd Mont Mills Company", but later it was called the "Gaymont Woolen Mill".

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

acquired it in 1952 and retained ownership until 1976. Black River Academy was chartered in Ludlow in 1835 and operated as a school, serving as the Town of Ludlow's public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

until 1938, when a new school was built. The original academy building burned early in the school's history, and the school operated in a church for 44 years until a new school building was built in 1888.History of Black River Academy
, Black River Academy Museum website, accessed October 9, 2009
, Black River Academy Museum website, accessed October 9, 2009 Notable alumni of the Black River Academy include U.S. President Calvin Coolidge; Rotary founder Paul P. Harris; John Garibaldi Sargent, who was

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

during Coolidge's presidency; and Vermont governor William W. Stickney. After the school closed, the Richardsonian school building was used for a time and run by Harriet Fife Bostock as a convalescent home. Since 1972 it has housed the Black River Academy Museum and Historical Society, a museum of local history. Part of the village was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2007 as the Ludlow Village Historic District. The district includes 26

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

over an area of . The district is located along a section of Main Street (

Vermont Route 103 Vermont Route 103 (VT 103) is a north–south state highway in southern Vermont, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Rockingham in the east to US 7 in Clarendon near Rutland in the west. The Vermont Country Store's second branc ...

) and Depot Street and includes the former Ludlow Woolen Mills (now housing a condominium and several retail businesses),

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, meeting hall, Black River Academy, fire house, and several

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

es, businesses, and residences.

Geography

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 t ...

, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²), all land.

Demographics

At 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 958 people, 437 households, and 221 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 707.2 people per square mile (274.0/km²). There were 731 housing units at an average density of 539.6/sq mi (209.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.70%

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 o ...

, 0.31%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.42%

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 ...

, 0.52% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.94% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.31% of the population. There were 437 households, out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.4% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.79. In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $29,698, and the median income for a family was $40,703. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,455 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 village was $19,824. About 6.7% of families and 9.5% 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 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Paul A. Chase, Associate 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 ...

Ida May Fuller Ida May Fuller (September 6, 1874 – January 27, 1975) was a Vermont schoolteacher and legal secretary. She was most notable as the first beneficiary of recurring monthly Social Security payments. Early life Fuller was born at her family's Jewe ...

, first recipient of a

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

check * Joseph F. Radigan, United States Attorney for Vermont * John G. Sargent,

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

* Hiland J. Spaulding, Wisconsin state legislator * William W. Stickney,

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

* William H. Walker, Associate Justice of the

* Julius A. Willcox, Associate Justice of the

Images

File:Black River High School at Ludlow VT.jpg, Black River High School in Ludlow File:Ludlow VT Fire Department.jpg, Fire Department

References

External links

Ludlow town and village website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludlow (Village), Vermont Incorporated villages in Vermont Villages in Windsor County, Vermont