Rupert is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Bennington County,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, 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 The Jenks Tavern, also known historically as the East Rupert Hotel and the Hotel G. Jenks, is a historic public accommodations house at the junction of West Dorset Road with Vermont Routes Vermont Route 315, 315 and Vermont Route 30, 30 in Rupert ...

, 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 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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 and Indian River, tributaries of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

, while the rest of the town drains to the Batten Kill in New York and eventually the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. 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. Rout ...

, following the Mettawee River. Vermont Route 153 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, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known ...

, colonial governor of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

(1619–1682). Prince Rupert was a prominent figure in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

and afterwards. One of Rupert's first settlers was Reuben Harmon, a metalsmith, who was given the right to mint coins, called Vermont coppers, for the Republic of Vermont. 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 broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

cooking show '' Cook's Country''. 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 Christopher Kimball (born June 5, 1951) is an American Editing, editor, Publishing, publisher, and radio and TV personality. He is notable as one of the founders of ''America's Test Kitchen'' and ''Cook's Country'' and as the creator of ''Christ ...

, 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/km²). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.14% Native American and 0.14% Asian.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

, 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 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 und ...

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, Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies ...

, 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, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dec ...

, American chef, editor, publisher, and radio/TV personality * William H. Meyer, member of the United States House of Representatives * Sheldon Roberts, American semi-conductor pioneer-member of the "traitorous eight" to form Fairchild Semiconductor One of the three founders of Teledyne * General Moses Sherman, American land developer who built Streetcar systems in Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California. Born in Rupert * Israel Smith, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, member of the U.S. Senate and fourth

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

; practiced law in Rupert

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Bennington County, Vermont