Rupert 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
Bennington County
Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,347. The shire towns (county seats) are jointly Bennington ("The Southshire") and Manchester ("The Northshire"), and the largest municipal ...
,
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 698 at the
2020 census.
The town is home t
The Maple News a trade publication focused on the maple syrup industry, and the former
Jenks Tavern, built around 1807, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
Rupert is located in the northwest corner of Bennington County, bordered by
Washington County,
New York to the west and
Rutland County to the north. The town is situated in the
Taconic Mountains
The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...
; the highest point is a summit on the ridge of Bear Mountain in the southeast corner of the town.
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 ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.08%, is water.
The northern portion of the town is drained by the
Mettawee River
The Mettawee River (sometimes spelled "Mettowee River") is a tributary of Lake Champlain in western Vermont and eastern New York in the United States, passing the town of Granville, New York. The river is particularly good for rapids and kayaking. ...
and Indian River, tributaries of
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 =
, ...
, while the rest of the town drains to the
Batten Kill
The Batten Kill, Battenkill, or Battenkill River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 river rising in Vermont that flows into New York and is a tributary ...
in New York and eventually the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
.
The northeast corner of town is crossed by
Vermont Route 30
Vermont Route 30 (VT 30) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. VT 30 runs from U.S. Route 5 in Vermont, U.S. Route 5 (US 5) and Vermont Route 9, VT 9 in Brattleboro, Vermont, Brattleboro to U.S. Route 7 ...
, following the Mettawee River.
Vermont Route 153
Vermont Route 153 (VT 153) is a state highway in southwestern Vermont in the United States. It extends for from the New York state line at Rupert to VT 30 in Pawlet. VT 153 is entirely town-maintained and goes through Be ...
runs north–south through the western part of the town before crossing into New York.
Vermont Route 315 runs east–west through the center of the town, connecting to VT 30 in East Rupert and to VT 153 in Rupert proper. The town also has the hamlets of West Rupert (on VT 153) and North Rupert (on VT 30).
History
Many historians agree that
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 l ...
, colonial governor of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, gave Rupert its name, after
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...
(1619–1682). Prince Rupert was a prominent figure in the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
and afterwards.
One of Rupert's first settlers was Reuben Harmon, a metalsmith, who was given the right to mint coins, called
Vermont copper
Vermont coppers were copper coins issued by the Vermont Republic. The coins were first struck in 1785 and continued to be minted until Vermont's admission to the United States in 1791 as the State of Vermont.
History
On June 10, 1785, the Hous ...
s, for the
Republic of Vermont
The Vermont Republic (French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont (French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The s ...
. Harmon's Mint was originally located in East Rupert on a small stream known as Hagar's Brook. It was later moved Southwind Farm in North Rupert.
Rupert is the filming location for seasons 1-10 of the syndicated
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
cooking show ''
Cook's Country
''Cook's Country'' is an American half-hour television cooking show on the PBS public broadcasting channel. The show is based on ''Cook's Country'' magazine (published by the same company as ''Cook's Illustrated'').
Cast
The structure of ''C ...
''. The iconic white country house, known as Carver House, is located near the center of town on the corner of Rupert Avenue and West Pawlett Road across the road from the Rupert Methodist Church.
Christopher Kimball, former Executive Producer and Host of ''Cook's Country'', maintains a residence nearby.
Demographics
At the 2000 census,
there were 704 people, 295 households and 205 families residing in the town. The population density was 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km
2). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.72%
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 ...
, 0.14%
Native American and 0.14%
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 ...
.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
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 0.99% of the population.
There were 295 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or
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 ...
, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% 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 2.86.
22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
was $36,429 and the median family income was $41,339. Males had a median income of $27,500 compared with $21,797 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,480. About 2.7% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Frederick Buechner
Carl Frederick Buechner ( ; July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022) was an American author, Presbyterianism, Presbyterian Minister (Christianity), minister, preacher, and theologian. The author of thirty-nine published books, his work encompassed d ...
, American writer and theologian
*
Samuel Gookins, Justice of the
Indiana Supreme Court
The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana ...
*
Christopher Kimball, American chef, editor, publisher, and radio/TV personality
*
William H. Meyer
William Henry Meyer (December 29, 1914 – December 16, 1983) was an American politician and Member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, he attended the public schools of the city and gra ...
, member of the United States House of Representatives
*
Sheldon Roberts
C. Sheldon Roberts (October 27, 1926 – June 6, 2014) was an American semiconductor pioneer, and member of the " traitorous eight" who founded Silicon Valley.
Biography
Roberts earned a Bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from Ren ...
, American semi-conductor pioneer-member of the "traitorous eight" to form Fairchild Semiconductor One of the three founders of
Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an American industrial conglomerate. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky.
From August 1996 to November 1999, Teledyne existed as part of the conglomerate All ...
*
General Moses Sherman, American land developer who built Streetcar systems in Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California. Born in Rupert
*
Israel Smith
Israel Smith (April 4, 1759 – December 2, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician. He held a wide variety of positions in the state of Vermont, including as a member of the United States House of Representatives, a member of the United ...
, member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, member of the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
and fourth
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 ...
; practiced law in Rupert
References
External links
{{authority control
Towns in Vermont
Towns in Bennington County, Vermont