Rockingham is a

Town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

in Windham County, on the southeastern

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 the ...

border in the United States, along the Connecticut River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,832. Rockingham includes the incorporated villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, as well as a large rural area west of

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connect ...

. Rockingham has no formal town center; instead, town offices and the Rockingham Public Library are located in the village of Bellows Falls. The approximate center is the Rockingham Meeting House, passed by Route 103, a popular east–west route across the state. The Meeting House was built in Rockingham Village, once the main settlement in the town, but with the increased use of water power for manufacturing, population shifted to other villages located on the two rivers in the town. Most of what was left of Rockingham Village (over a dozen buildings, also called the Old Town) burned in a fire on April 14, 1908; the fire came close to the Meeting House but it was saved. The houses, hotel, and store that burned were not rebuilt.

History

One of the

New Hampshire grants The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the colonial governor of the Province of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 (including 131 towns), were made o ...

, it was chartered by Governor

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, Wentworth is best known for issuing several ...

on December 28, 1752 and named for Lord Rockingham. The township was granted to Samuel Johnson and 72 others. When the Town was first settled in 1753 by pioneers, its rivers were sites of fishing for

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

and

shad The Alosinae, or the shads,Alosinae
A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859
/ref> as they had been for the original indigenous inhabitants. By 1771, the population reached 225. In 1785, Colonel Enoch Hale erected the first bridge over the Connecticut River, and until 1796, it remained the only bridge across. The village of Bellows Falls became an important

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * '' Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World H ...

, which reduced the runs of palatable fish.

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of 42.3 square miles (109.6 km²), of which 41.9 square miles (108.5 km²) is land and 0.4 square mile (1.1 km²) (0.97%) is water. It is drained by the Williams and the Saxtons rivers, and several brooks that flow directly into the Connecticut River; the latter river forms the eastern boundary of Rockingham. The highest point in town is Berry Hill at 478 m/1568 ft elevation, near the northwest corner of the town. The lowest point is on the Connecticut River at the southern boundary of town, at 73 m/240 ft elevation. The town is crossed by

, U.S. Route 5, Vermont Route 103 and Vermont Route 121. The Bellows Falls train station was once served by three rail lines, and today it has Amtrak service on the Vermonter route, with two trains a day, one heading south to Washington, DC and one heading north to St. Albans, VT.

Demographics

The rural community, based on farming, had its peak of population in 1920. 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 5,309 people, 2,202 households, and 1,387 families residing in the town. 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 126.7 people per square mile (48.9/km²). There were 2,425 housing units at an average density of 57.9 per square mile (22.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.38%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.34%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.32% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. There were 2,202 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were couples living together and joined in either

marriage 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 ...

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,423, and the median income for a family was $45,503. Males had a median income of $29,200 versus $22,944 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 $19,051. About 4.8% of families and 10.0% 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 ...

, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Listed on National Register of Historic Places

* Bartonsville Covered Bridge – across the Williams River at the southern end of Bartonsville (added August 2, 1973) *

Worrall Covered Bridge The Worrall Covered Bridge, also known as the Woralls Bridge is a wooden covered bridge carrying Williams Road across the Williams River in Rockingham, Vermont, United States. Built about 1870, it is the only surviving 19th-century covered br ...

– north of Rockingham across the Williams River (added August 16, 1973) * Hall Covered Bridge – West of Bellows Falls across the Saxtons River, off Vermont Route 121 (added August 28, 1973) * Parker Hill Rural Historic District – Parker Hill and Lower Parker Hill Roads (added June 20, 1993) * Rockingham Meeting House – off Vermont Route 103 (added October 10, 1979) * Rockingham Village Historic District – Meeting House Rd., Rockingham Hill Rd. (added January 4, 2008) * Williams River Route 5 Bridge – U.S. Route 5 over the Williams River (added December 14, 1991) * Adams Gristmill Warehouse – Bridge St., Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) * Bellows Falls Co-operative Creamery Complex – Bridge St., Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) * Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site (VT-WD-8) – Bridge St., Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) *

Bellows Falls Times Building The Bellows Falls Times Building is a historic newspaper plant on Bridge and Island Streets in Bellows Falls, Vermont. The complex of three buildings was developed in the 1930s by the Vermont Newspaper Corporation, and served as home for the ''Be ...

– Bridge and Island streets, Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) * Bellows Falls Downtown Historic District – Depot, Canal, Rockingham, Bridge, Mill, and Westminster Sts. (added August 16, 1982) *

Bellows Falls Neighborhood Historic District The Bellows Falls Neighborhood Historic District encompasses a residential area of the village of Bellows Falls, Vermont. Located south of downtown Bellows Falls, the area has one of the largest concentrations of well-preserved 19th century re ...

– Atkinson, Westminster, School, and Hapgood Sts., Hapgood Pl., and Burt St., Henry St., South St., Hadley St., and Temple Pl.; also Center, Front, Old Terrace, and Pine Sts., Bellows Falls (added January 17, 2002) *

Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets The Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets is a historic automotive service station in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Built about 1935, it is a modest yet well-preserved example of period roadside commercial architecture of the period. The Colonial Rev ...

– (added January 22, 1990) * George-Pine-Henry Street Historic District – 5-22 George St.; 1-17 Pine St.; 32-44 Henry St., Bellows Falls (added July 13, 2010) * Vermont Academy Campus Historic District – 10 Long Walk, Saxtons River (added July 14, 2015) *

Saxtons River Village Historic District Saxton can refer to: Places United States * Saxton, Kentucky, USA * Saxton, Missouri, USA * Saxton, Pennsylvania, USA ** Saxton Nuclear Generating Station * Camp Saxton Site, Port Royal, South Carolina, USA Other places * Saxton, North Yorkshir ...

– Roughly bounded by Burk Hill and Bellview Rds., Oak St., the Saxtons River, and Westminster West Rd. (added September 29, 1988) *

Miss Bellows Falls Diner Miss Bellows Falls Diner is a historic diner at 90 Rockingham Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. The diner was constructed in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as #771, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Des ...

– 90 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls (added February 15, 1983) *

Moore and Thompson Paper Mill Complex The Moore and Thompson Paper Mill Complex is a major late 19th-century industrial site off Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. It is the largest surviving mill complex from the village's industrial heyday, and is one of the largest of the p ...

– Bridge St., Bellows Falls (added March 16, 1984) * Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel – Off Pleasant St., Bellows Falls (added November 14, 1991) *

William A. Hall House The William A. Hall House is a historic house at 1 Hapgood Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Built in 1890–92, it is one of Vermont's finest early expressions of Colonial Revival architecture. It is notable for its first three residents, who ...

– 1 Hapgood St., Bellows Falls (added May 5, 1999) * Howard Hardware Storehouse – Bridge St., Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) * Robertson Paper Company Complex – Island St., Bellows Falls (added January 22, 1990) It was demolished in 2018-19 as a Brownfields Economic Revitalization Alliance (BERA) project. * Williams Street Extension Historic District – 51–58, 61–68, 70 Williams St., Bellows Falls (added July 13, 2010) *

Westminster Terrace Historic District The Westminster Terrace Historic District encompasses a locally architecturally distinctive residential area on Westminster Terrace in Bellows Falls (a village of Rockingham) and Westminster, Vermont. First developed between about 1880 and 191 ...

– Along Westminster Terrace, in Bellows Falls and Westminster (added July 13, 2010)

Locations

The following smaller unincorporated villages are within the town of Rockingham, in addition to its two larger, incorporated villages (Bellows Falls and Saxtons River): *Bartonsville, a hamlet with mills established by Jeremiah Barton about 1840, once a stop on the

Rutland Railroad The Rutland Railroad was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1961, parts of the ...

*Brockways Mills, a mill site and former stop on the

*Campbridgeport, a hamlet with mills named after J.T. Campbridge, partially within the town of

Grafton Grafton may refer to: Places Australia * Grafton, New South Wales Canada * Grafton, New Brunswick * Grafton, Nova Scotia * Grafton, Ontario England * Grafton, Cheshire * Grafton, Herefordshire *Grafton, North Yorkshire * Grafton, Oxfordshi ...

Notable people

John S. Barry John Stewart Barry (January 29, 1802– January 14, 1870) was the fourth and eighth governor of Michigan. He was Michigan's only three-term governor in the 19th century. His main accomplishment was to rationalize state finances after the state's ...

, fourth

governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as th ...

Henry Adams Bellows Henry Bellows may refer to: *Henry Adams Bellows (justice) (1803–1873), American lawyer, politician, and Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court *Henry Adams Bellows (businessman) (1885–1939), American executive and translator *Henry W ...

, lawyer, state legislator and jurist * Jonathan Blanchard, pastor, social reformer, and president of

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

Hetty Green Hetty Green (November 21, 1834 – July 3, 1916), nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, was an American businesswoman and financier known as "the richest woman in America" during the Gilded Age. She was named by the ''Guinness Book of World Reco ...

, businesswoman and financier *

Hugh H. Henry Hugh H. Henry (October 13, 1814 – December 18, 1869) was an American farmer, businessman, and politician from Vermont. He was most notable for several terms in the Vermont House of Representatives (six terms between 1839 and 1862), a term in t ...

, United States Marshal for Vermont * Daniel Kellogg,

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

and 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 Cou ...

George Bradley Kellogg George Bradley Kellogg (November 6, 1826 – November 12, 1875) was a Vermont military and political figure who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia and a Lieutenant Colonel in the 1st Vermont Cavalry during the American Civil War. ...

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 ...

, Lieutenant Colonel of the

1st Vermont Cavalry The 1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment was a three years' cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater from November 1861 to August 1865, in the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac. History The r ...

Regiment in 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 state ...

* Selim Peabody, educator *

Zera Pulsipher Zera Pulsipher (also Zerah) (June 24, 1789 – January 1, 1872) was a First Seven Presidents of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In that capacity, he provided leadership to the early Mormon community ...

, religious leader * Shadrach Roundy, religious leader * Henry Franklin Severens, judge

References

External links

Town of Rockingham, Vermont

Rockingham Free Public Library
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Vermont populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in Windham County, Vermont Superfund sites in Vermont