Tunbridge, Vermont
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Tunbridge 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 Orange 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 United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. As of the 2020 United States Census the town population was 1,337. The town consists of three village centers, all situated on Vermont Route 110 in the valley of the first branch of the White River. The three settlements are named North Tunbridge (also known locally as "Blood Village"), Tunbridge Village ("Market") and South Tunbridge ("Jigger").


Historic sites

The entire center of Tunbridge Village, including the fairgrounds, was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1994. Officially the district listing is ''"Roughly, along VT 110 and adjacent rds. including Town Rd. 45 and Spring and Strafford Rds."'' Tunbridge has five covered bridges (all listed on the National Register) * Cilley Bridge – southwest of Tunbridge Village (off Howe Lane from VT 110) * Flint Bridge – North Tunbridge on Bicknell Hill Road (off VT 110) * Larkin Bridge – North Tunbridge on Larkin Road (off VT 110) *
Howe Bridge Howe Bridge is a suburb of Atherton, Greater Manchester, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically within Lancashire, it is south west of Atherton town centre on the B5215, the old Turnpike trust, turnpike ...
– South of Tunbridge Village (entering on VT 110) at Belknap Road * Mill (or Hayward & Noble or Spring Rd.) Bridge —in the Village, west side of VT 110 on Spring Road Tunbridge also has two other structures are individually listed on the National Register: * Hayward & Kibby (or Hayward & Noble) Mill – on Spring Road in Tunbridge Village * South Tunbridge Methodist Episcopal Church


Tunbridge World's Fair

The historical antecedent of the Tunbridge World's Fair can be traced to the town's charter, which therein authorized the establishment of two annual fairs when the population of the town reached fifty families. It wasn't until 1867 that, after a succession of fairs in Orange County starting in 1847, the Tunbridge Agricultural Society was organized and staged a fair at the Elisha Lougee Farm in North Tunbridge. At the 1867 fair, Vermont's former Lieutenant Governor Burnham Martin referred to the fair as a "little World's Fair". Lewis Dickerman adopted the phrase and used it in the 1868 publicity handbills and the Tunbridge fair has since used the name. In 1875, the Union Agricultural Society assumed the sponsorship of the fair and moved its location to the present fairgrounds in the center of Tunbridge. In 1894, the fair joined the National Trotting Association, and for many years has maintained the only remaining grass race track in Vermont. The annual fair continues to this day with demonstrations of farming and agricultural traditions and culture, working antique displays, horse and ox pulling, horse racing, cattle and horse shows, junior exhibits, floral and
4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...
exhibits, contra dancing,
gymkhana Gymkhana () (, , , , ) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the ...
, and many free shows.


Geography and geology

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 44.8 square miles (115.9 km2), of which 44.7 square miles (115.9 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.04%) is water. The First Branch of the White River running north to south divides Tunbridge into two nearly equal parts. Two mineral springs exist in the town, one of which is a white sulphur spring located on "Spring road," one and a half miles from Tunbridge Center; this spring was once valued for its medicinal properties. The highest points of land are Brocklebank Hill at 2100+ ft near the northern boundary with Chelsea, Old Hurricane Hill at 1900+ ft in the northwestern part near East Randolph, and East Hill at 2112 ft near the Strafford line. The soil is well-drained and was formed in Wisconsin-age glacial till, its average depth is around 20 to 40 inches. Typical composition of the soil: a surface layer of very dark brown, partially decomposed organic material; a subsurface layer of gray fine sandy loam; upper subsoil of dark brown fine sandy loam and subsoil of brown channery fine sandy loam. The rocks underlying Tunbridge are entirely of the calciferous mica schist formation, with a small bed of granite, syenite and protogine in the northeastern part.
No. 9 of the Acts of 1985, effective March 27, 1985, designated the Tunbridge Soil Series as the official State Soil. The Tunbridge series (course-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Haplothrod) consists of moderately deep to bedrock, well drained soils. It was selected from among more than 160 different soil series in the state. As it is a typical "hill farm" and "sugarbush" soil, the Tunbridge series well represents the soil resources of Vermont. A soil formed in loamy glacial till, it has good potential for agriculture and forestry. As Professor Richmond Bartlett of UVM says, "It's the soil that makes Vermont hills greener than those either in New Hampshire or New York."
---''From Office of the Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual, Biennial Session, 1993–1994, p. 16.''
Typical species of tree to be found in the landscape are white birch,
yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the p ...
, American beech, red spruce,
red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...
,
sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the ...
, white ash, hemlock and white pine.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,309 people, 513 households, and 362 families residing in the town. The population density was 29.3 people per square mile (11.3/km2). There were 679 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.01%
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 ...
, 0.23%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.08% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 0.53% from two or more races.
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 513 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% 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 ...
, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,855, and the median income for a family was $45,670. Males had a median income of $27,465 versus $23,182 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,934. About 8.4% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. the unemployment rate is 3.2% and the average commute time is 26.9 minutes. 84.9% of the Tunbridge population studied at high school level or higher and 25.8% have studied at bachelors level or higher.


Notable people

* Sarah E. Buxton, member,
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...
* David M. Camp, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1836–1841 * Susan Dollenmaier, founder of ANICHINI, Inc. * Frank A. Haskell,
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in the Union Army and author of an account of the
Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...
* Harry David Lee, founder of Lee Jeans * Solomon Mack, Veteran of the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
and
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, grandfather of Joseph Smith Jr. * Stephen Mack, merchant and politician * Ivy Mix, bartender credited with popularizing mezcal in the United States * John O'Brien, film maker and director *
Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Jos ...
, leader in the early
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
* Joseph Smith Sr., father of Joseph Smith Jr. and first Presiding Patriarch in the Latter Day Saint movement * Samuel Harrison Smith, missionary * Fred Tuttle, farmer, movie actor, candidate for political office


Cemeteries

Dates represent years in use. * Button: 1780–present * Dickerman Hill: 1807–1934 * Drew: 1814–1881 * Durkee: 1812–1981 * Hunt: 1802–present * Hutchinson: 1788–1923 * Hutchinson Lot: 1844–1860 * Kelsey Mt.: 1792–1921 * Monarch Hill: 1814–1876 * Mt. Pleasant: 1798–1982 * Old Meeting House: 1816–1940 * Ordway: 1813–1893 * Riddall: 1818–1820 * Smith: 1807–1881 * Spring Road (new): 1842–present * Spring Road (old): 1831–1885 * Strafford Road: 1800–1968 * Tunbridge Village: 1807–present * Ward Hill: 1804–1884 * Whitney Hill: 1809–1915


References


External links


Tunbridge Vermont Official Town Website
– Changed in early 2017
Tunbridge World's Fair official website

Bellwether Films, Producers of "The Tunbridge Trilogy"

Tunbridge Then and Now – Landscape change program at UVM
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Orange County, Vermont