Cavendish, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Cavendish is a town
in Windsor County, Vermont, United States
. The town was named after William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,470 at the 2000 census. The town of Cavendish includes the village of Proctorsville.
, the town has a total area of 39.7 square miles (102.8 km2), of which 39.6 square miles (102.7 km2) are land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.13%) is water.
Cavendish was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene
in 2011.
of 2000, there were 1,470 people, 617 households, and 420 families residing in the town. The population density
was 37.1 people per square mile (14.3/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 21.7 per square mile (8.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White, 0.07% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 617 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,727, and the median income for a family was $41,591. Males had a median income of $30,223 versus $22,206 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,420. About 2.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Windsor County, Vermont, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was named after William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,470 at the 2000 census. The town of Cavendish includes the village of Proctorsville.
Early Settlers
Captain John Coffeen, the town’s first permanent settler, brought his family and possessions into the wilderness of Cavendish in June of 1769. They built a dwelling in the northern part of town on what is now E. I. Heald’s farm, on the lot still called the “Coffeen pasture.” The Coffeens remained the only family in Cavendish for two years. In the early 1780s, Leonard Proctor and Salmon Dutton came from Massachusetts and gave their names to the two major settlements on the Black River, Proctorsville and Duttonsville. In 1782, the first recorded town meeting occurred and Dutton was elected town clerk. He is credited with having conducted a 1784 survey for the first road from Duttonsville along the Black River to Ludlow (now Vermont routes 103 and 131). In 1786 he became the town's first justice of the peace. He also served as moderator of the town meeting, as selectman, and as town treasurer. The marriage of Redfield Proctor and Emily Dutton in 1858 joined the leading families of the two villages and promised to put an end to the former rivalry.Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 39.7 square miles (102.8 km2), of which 39.6 square miles (102.7 km2) are land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.13%) is water.
Cavendish was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
in 2011.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,470 people, 617 households, and 420 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 37.1 people per square mile (14.3/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 21.7 per square mile (8.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White, 0.07% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 617 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,727, and the median income for a family was $41,591. Males had a median income of $30,223 versus $22,206 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $18,420. About 2.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Phineas GagePhineas GagePhineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbablesurvival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and...
, well known neurological case study in brain injury. - John Martyn HarlowJohn Martyn HarlowJohn Martyn Harlow was an American physician primarily remembered for his attendance on brain-injury survivor Phineas Gage, and for his published reports on Gage's accident and subsequent history....
, physician, known for his work with Phineas Gage. - Redfield ProctorRedfield ProctorRedfield Proctor was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th Governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 1891 to 1908....
, governor of Vermont, senator, US Secretary of War. - Colonel Thomas O. SeaverThomas O. SeaverThomas Orville Seaver rose to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration, for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House...
, Civil War era Medal of Honor recipient. - Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
, Russian writer and historian, Nobel prize winner.
External links
- Cavendish Community & Conservation Association
- 250th Anniversary Info & Events Site
- Information at VirtualVermont.com
- Cavendish Community Profile; with an old postcard
- Local news Cavendish news from the Black River Tribune