Jamaica, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Jamaica is a town in Windham County
, Vermont
, United States
. The population was 946 at the 2000 census. Jamaica includes the villages of East Jamaica and Rawsonville.
Its ZIP code
is 05343. The town is home to Jamaica State Park, noted for scenic camping
spots and various swimming hole
s, including Hamilton Falls. The nearest large town is Brattleboro
.
. The original grants for this area, issued by the Royal Governor of New York in 1767 and 1772, were for two towns. But in 1777, the Republic of Vermont
was established. Ignoring the previous grants, it gave charter on November 7, 1780 for “a tract of vacant land within this state which has not heretofore been granted.”
The charter goes on to say “that the same be and is hereby Incorporated into a Township by the name of Jamaica” -- its name from the Natick
word for beaver
and not the Caribbean island
. The grant encompassed forty-two square miles, at an altitude ranging from 688 feet (209.7 m) above sea level along the West River
to 2542 feet (774.8 m) on The Pinnacle. On the charter were listed sixty-seven grantees, many of whose surnames can be found among residents today.
Earliest settlement of the town was along the West River near the Wardsboro Bridge, now called East Jamaica, where the first school was established in 1791; however, the building of new roads and bridges towards Manchester advanced settlement westward, so that by 1800 the town center was shifting to Jamaica Village. Within the entire forty-two square-mile township developed as many as ten separate hamlets
, each surrounded by outlying farm
s and linked to Jamaica Village by a network of roads. Eventually there were as many as fourteen one-room school
s which served the families in the outlying areas.
In the first quarter of the nineteenth century, Jamaica Village also assumed increasing importance as a manufacturing center, largely for topographical reasons. Located near the confluence
of the West River and Ball Mountain Brook, the area offered a strategic location for bridges, dam
s and mills. Along Ball Mountain Brook alone there were numerous dams, each providing power for at least one mill. The first store, Noon House, was built in 1803. The popularity of Noon House led to the building in 1814 of Jamaica House, which provided a convenient overnight spot for travelers at the mid-point between Manchester and Brattleboro.
Like many Vermont communities, the town's economy prospered with the introduction of Merino sheep in the early nineteenth century. The sheep flourished on rocky hillsides, and as their numbers increased, bare land replaced forests, but this prosperity did not last. The depression
that followed the Civil War
, and the decline in the wool
market, took their toll on the economy.
Many sons of Jamaica served with the Union Army
during the Civil War. Windham County contributed heavily to manning the 4th Vermont Infantry
and nearly all of Jamaica's men joined Company I of that regiment. This regiment saw heavy combat throughout the war but the Battle of the Wilderness
took the greatest toll on those from the village of Jamaica. One of Jamaica's soldiers, Sergeant Henry W. Downs
of Company I, 8th Vermont Infantry
, won the Medal of Honor
for bravery under fire.
In 1869, a great flood
carried away “a mile of bridges” and damaged every dam on Ball Mountain Brook. Because of its setting near the river and the region's heavy snows, Jamaica has suffered through many damaging floods in the more than two hundred years since its founding.
During this period, Jamaica and other towns in the West River Valley bonded together in a venture that was seen as the salvation of the area’s economic woes, the West River Railroad. Originally chartered in 1867, the proposed railroad was to run from Brattleboro to Whitehall, New York
. In 1877, financing provided by the valley towns moved the languishing project forward with the first segment from Brattleboro to Londonderry
. Although it was never extended farther, the railroad provided valuable public transportation for the lower West River Valley until the 1930s, by which time automobile
ownership had become almost universal.
of 2000, there were 946 people, 416 households, and 245 families residing in the town. The population density
was 19.2 people per square mile (7.4/km2). There were 967 housing units at an average density of 19.6 per square mile (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.11% from other races
, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.21% of the population.
There were 416 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 26.7% 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 113.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,917, and the median income for a family was $43,333. Males had a median income of $26,818 versus $23,417 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,052. About 5.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
, the town has a total area of 49.5 square miles (128.2 km²), of which 49.3 square miles (127.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.20%) is water. The West River
flows through the town. Jamaica is crossed by
Vermont Route 30
(concurrent with
Vermont Route 100
).
on the first Tuesday of March each year. At Town Meeting, residents of the town deliberate and vote on an annual budget, elect municipal officials, and vote on public questions. Jamaica is one of the few towns where all business is still conducted "from the floor" - i.e. through parliamentary procedure, as even candidates for elected office are nominated from the floor.
The five-person Board of Selectmen is responsible for the general supervision of the town, with executive and legislative responsibilities. The Town Clerk is the custodian of town records (namely land records).
Windham County, Vermont
Windham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 44,513. Its shire town is Newfane.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 946 at the 2000 census. Jamaica includes the villages of East Jamaica and Rawsonville.
Its ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 05343. The town is home to Jamaica State Park, noted for scenic camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
spots and various swimming hole
Swimming hole
A swimming hole is a place in a river, stream, creek, spring, or similar natural body of water, which is large enough and deep enough for a person to swim in...
s, including Hamilton Falls. The nearest large town is Brattleboro
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
.
History
In the colonial period, what is now Vermont was disputed territory, with land claims from both New York and New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The original grants for this area, issued by the Royal Governor of New York in 1767 and 1772, were for two towns. But in 1777, the Republic of Vermont
Vermont Republic
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of what became modern Vermont from 1777 to 1791. In July 1777 delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and land claims of British colonies in New Hampshire and New York. They also...
was established. Ignoring the previous grants, it gave charter on November 7, 1780 for “a tract of vacant land within this state which has not heretofore been granted.”
The charter goes on to say “that the same be and is hereby Incorporated into a Township by the name of Jamaica” -- its name from the Natick
Massachusett language
The Massachusett language was a Native American language, a member of the Algonquian language family. It is also known as Wôpanâak , Natick, and Pokanoket....
word for beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
and not the Caribbean island
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The grant encompassed forty-two square miles, at an altitude ranging from 688 feet (209.7 m) above sea level along the West River
West River (Vermont)
The West River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, about long, in southern Vermont in the United States. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "Wantastiquet" and as "Waters of the Lonely Way"...
to 2542 feet (774.8 m) on The Pinnacle. On the charter were listed sixty-seven grantees, many of whose surnames can be found among residents today.
Earliest settlement of the town was along the West River near the Wardsboro Bridge, now called East Jamaica, where the first school was established in 1791; however, the building of new roads and bridges towards Manchester advanced settlement westward, so that by 1800 the town center was shifting to Jamaica Village. Within the entire forty-two square-mile township developed as many as ten separate hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
, each surrounded by outlying farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s and linked to Jamaica Village by a network of roads. Eventually there were as many as fourteen one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
s which served the families in the outlying areas.
In the first quarter of the nineteenth century, Jamaica Village also assumed increasing importance as a manufacturing center, largely for topographical reasons. Located near the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the West River and Ball Mountain Brook, the area offered a strategic location for bridges, dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s and mills. Along Ball Mountain Brook alone there were numerous dams, each providing power for at least one mill. The first store, Noon House, was built in 1803. The popularity of Noon House led to the building in 1814 of Jamaica House, which provided a convenient overnight spot for travelers at the mid-point between Manchester and Brattleboro.
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
that followed the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and the decline in the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
market, took their toll on the economy.
Many sons of Jamaica served with the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the Civil War. Windham County contributed heavily to manning the 4th Vermont Infantry
4th Vermont Infantry
The 4th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry was a three year' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater, predominantly in the VI Corps, Army of the Potomac, from September 1861 to July 1865...
and nearly all of Jamaica's men joined Company I of that regiment. This regiment saw heavy combat throughout the war but the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
took the greatest toll on those from the village of Jamaica. One of Jamaica's soldiers, Sergeant Henry W. Downs
Henry W. Downs
Henry W. Downs was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Opequon more commonly called the Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia on September 19, 1864.-Medal of Honor citation:“The President of the United States of...
of Company I, 8th Vermont Infantry
8th Vermont Infantry
The 8th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry was a three-year infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in both major theaters, first in Louisiana and then in Virginia, from February 1862 to June 1865. It was a member of the XIX Corps.The regiment was mustered...
, won the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for bravery under fire.
In 1869, a great flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
carried away “a mile of bridges” and damaged every dam on Ball Mountain Brook. Because of its setting near the river and the region's heavy snows, Jamaica has suffered through many damaging floods in the more than two hundred years since its founding.
During this period, Jamaica and other towns in the West River Valley bonded together in a venture that was seen as the salvation of the area’s economic woes, the West River Railroad. Originally chartered in 1867, the proposed railroad was to run from Brattleboro to Whitehall, New York
Whitehall (village), New York
Whitehall is a village located in the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In 1877, financing provided by the valley towns moved the languishing project forward with the first segment from Brattleboro to Londonderry
Londonderry, Vermont
Londonderry is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. It is bounded on the north by Landgrove and Weston, on the east by Windham, on the south by Jamaica and on the west by Winhall and Landgrove. The population was 1,709 at the 2000 census. Londonderry also includes the village of South...
. Although it was never extended farther, the railroad provided valuable public transportation for the lower West River Valley until the 1930s, by which time automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
ownership had become almost universal.
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 946 people, 416 households, and 245 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 19.2 people per square mile (7.4/km2). There were 967 housing units at an average density of 19.6 per square mile (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.11% 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 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.21% of the population.
There were 416 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% 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, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 26.7% 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 113.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,917, and the median income for a family was $43,333. Males had a median income of $26,818 versus $23,417 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 $22,052. About 5.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
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 49.5 square miles (128.2 km²), of which 49.3 square miles (127.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.20%) is water. The West River
West River (Vermont)
The West River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, about long, in southern Vermont in the United States. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "Wantastiquet" and as "Waters of the Lonely Way"...
flows through the town. Jamaica is crossed by
Vermont Route 30Vermont Route 30
Vermont Route 30 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Considered one of Vermont's most scenic roadways, it runs from Brattleboro, Vermont in the south to Middlebury, Vermont in the north...
(concurrent with
Vermont Route 100Vermont Route 100
Vermont Route 100 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Running through the center of the state, it travels nearly the entire length of Vermont and is long...
).
Government
Like all Vermont towns, Jamaica has an annual town meetingTown meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
on the first Tuesday of March each year. At Town Meeting, residents of the town deliberate and vote on an annual budget, elect municipal officials, and vote on public questions. Jamaica is one of the few towns where all business is still conducted "from the floor" - i.e. through parliamentary procedure, as even candidates for elected office are nominated from the floor.
The five-person Board of Selectmen is responsible for the general supervision of the town, with executive and legislative responsibilities. The Town Clerk is the custodian of town records (namely land records).