Wethersfield, Vermont
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Weathersfield 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 Windsor 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 ...
. The population was 2,842 at the 2020 census.


History

The town of Weathersfield was named after
Wethersfield, Connecticut Wethersfield ( ) is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 27,298 at the time ...
, the home of some of its earliest settlers. The Connecticut town had taken its name from Wethersfield, a village in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
county of
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. William Jarvis was appointed by President
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
as U.S. Consul General to
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
after founding a trading house in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. In 1811, Jarvis imported the first Merino sheep to America from Spain to his farm at Weathersfield Bow. Jarvis set aside eight of the 4,000 Merino sheep he imported as gifts to former President Jefferson and to President
James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
. "I cannot forbear, Sir," Jarvis wrote to Jefferson, "making you an offer of a Ram & Ewes, both as a mark of my great esteem & well knowing that the experiment cannot be in better hands." Jarvis was a wealthy financier and gentleman farmer who had bought up most of the floodplain of Weathersfield. He was also one of the most prominent
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
in the
Connecticut River Valley The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
. Thanks to his introduction of Merino sheep, he provided the underpinning for Vermont agriculture for the next century. Jarvis married his maternal first cousin, Mary Pepperell Sparhawk of Boston, a fellow descendant of Sir William Pepperrell of Massachusetts. Katherine L. Jarvis, daughter of Hon. William Jarvis, married
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
-educated lawyer and photographer Col.
Leavitt Hunt Colonel, Col. Leavitt Hunt (1831–February 16, 1907) was a Harvard-educated attorney and photography pioneer who was one of the first people to photograph the Middle East. He and a companion, Nathan Flint Baker, traveled to Egypt, the Holy ...
, brother of architect
Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...
and Boston painter
William Morris Hunt William Morris Hunt (March 31, 1824September 8, 1879) was an American painter. Born into the political List of Hunt family members of Vermont, Hunt family of Vermont, he trained in Paris with the realist Jean-François Millet and studied under hi ...
, and son of Vermont congressman
Jonathan Hunt Jonathan Hunt may refer to: * Jonathan Hunt (New Zealand politician) (1938–2024), politician from New Zealand * Jonathan Hunt (Vermont congressman) (1787–1832), U.S. Representative from Vermont * Jonathan Hunt (Vermont lieutenant governor) (1738 ...
. Leavitt Hunt and his wife later lived in Weathersfield at their home, ''Elmsholme''. Rev. John Dudley, a sometime missionary to the
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
Indians, a graduate of Yale Seminary, the descendant of one of the earliest families of
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
(his ancestor William Dudley settled in Guilford in the early 17th century) and a widely reprinted
Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
preacher, made his home in Weathersfield, where his son William Wade Dudley was born. On August 20, 2011, Weathersfield celebrated the 250th anniversary of its town charter.


Romaine Tenney

In September 1964, a Weathersfield bachelor farmer named Romaine Tenney burned himself and his farm rather than allow construction of
Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...
which was then proceeding through the
Connecticut Valley The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
. The state transportation agency had offered landowners compensation, but could also seize land by eminent domain. Many landowners resisted, including one who shot a hole through a surveyor’s hard hat. Tenney happened to be the last local holdout. Finally, he was given an ultimatum to leave. That night a fire ravaged the barn, sheds, and farmhouse. Although Tenney’s body was not identified, it was evident he had nailed his bedroom door shut from the inside. The day after his memorial service, construction on the highway resumed. Tenney was memorialized as the subject of poems, ghost stories, and songs. Tenney’s legacy has become a source of pride for some, despite its horror. It is a display of New England "flint", a story preserved by the Weathersfield Historical Society. The farm eventually became a park and ride at Exit 8 (Vermont Route 131), where commuters could park their cars and board buses. In March 2020, the last vestige of the farm, a dying rock maple tree was removed. The Vermont Agency of Transportation acknowledged the site’s significance as the Romaine Tenney Memorial Park with a lawn, pavilion, memorial plaque, and picnic table.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.27%, is water. The town of Weathersfield includes the village of Perkinsville, Vermont, Perkinsville.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,788 people, 1,167 households, and 830 families residing in the town. The population density was 63.7 people per square mile (24.6/km2). There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of 30.0 per square mile (11.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.57% White (U.S. Census), White, 0.07% African American (U.S. Census), African American, 0.29% Native American (U.S. Census), Native American, 0.25% Asian (U.S. Census), Asian, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic (U.S. Census), Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census), Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 1,167 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were Marriage, married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% 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 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,057, and the median income for a family was $46,282. Males had a median income of $33,226 versus $27,011 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,647. About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those aged 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Tourism

Several historical buildings are located in the Weathersfield Center Historic District, including the Reverend Dan Foster House, the Weathersfield Meeting House and the First Congregational Church. The Reverend Dan Foster House is now a museum operated by the Weathersfield Historical Society. The house was built during the Revolutionary War with some sections completed in 1825. The museum houses American Civil War, Civil War memorabilia, a children's school room and a library.


Architecture

The architecture of Weathersfield, Vermont, reflects its rich history and the development of the area over the centuries. The town, chartered in 1761, saw modest settlement in the following decade. By the 1790s, the population had grown significantly, leading to the construction of notable buildings. One of the key architectural highlights is the Weathersfield Center Historic District. This district encompasses a small cluster of historically significant buildings, including the town's second church building and the home of its first settled minister. The church, built in 1787 and later destroyed by fire, was replaced by a brick Federal style meeting house in 1821. This meeting house is notable for its restrained late Federal architecture, featuring round-headed door openings, a Palladian window, and a fully pedimented gable with an arched eyebrow window. It also has a multi-stage tower, comprising a square stage with a multilight oculus window, an open octagonal belfry, and a louvered cupola. Another significant architectural feature in Weathersfield is the Foster House, built in 1825 as a Federal-style two-story house for the town's minister. This building, attached to a simpler 1-1/2 story Cape style house, stands on Weathersfield Center Road and is now a historic house museum operated by the local historical society. Additionally, Weathersfield is home to an early stone animal pound, likely built in the 1780s, which reflects the town's agricultural heritage and the practical needs of its early residents.


Education


Primary and Secondary schools

The Weathersfield School District serves Weathersfield. There is one school in the district, Weathersfield School, located in Ascutney, Vermont, Ascutney.


Public libraries

The Weathersfield Proctor Library serves the Weathersfield area. The library is on Route 5, north of the intersection with Route 131.


Media

A detailed history of the town is available for the years 1971 through 1986 in the form of a weekly newspaper, ''The Weathersfield Weekly'', which covered the history and current events in the town. The newspaper was closed by its editors and publishers, Armstrong and Edith Hunter, in 1986, though they published a five-year retrospective in 1991.


Notable people

* Charles E. Billings, engineer, inventor and businessman * Aretas Blood, steam locomotive manufacturer * Clarissa Danforth, early female Christian minister * William Wade Dudley, politician * Barbara Galpin, journalist * Jarvis Hunt, architect * William Jarvis, consul to Portugal under president Thomas Jefferson * Franklin S. Lawrence, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Don A. J. Upham, mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin


References


Further reading

* ''The Democratic Dilemma: Religion, Reform and the Social Order in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont, 1791–1850'', Randolph A. Roth, 1987, Cambridge University Press, pp. 16, 103, 107, 113, 144, 145, 173–177, etc., on William Jarvis. * ''The Weathersfield weekly: an annotated index of selected articles, items and photos, April 22, 1971, to April 4, 1986'', E.F. Hunter, 1988.


External links


Town of Weathersfield official website

Weathersfield, Vermont, The New England Gazetteer, John Hayward, Boston, 1839


{{Authority control Weathersfield, Vermont, Towns in Vermont Vermont populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in Windsor County, Vermont Architectural design