Manchester (town), Vermont
Encyclopedia
Manchester is a town
in, and one of two shire towns (county seat
s) of, Bennington County, Vermont
, United States
. The population was 4,180 at the 2000 census.
Manchester Village
, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center
are settlement centers within the town.
Manchester has become a tourist destination, especially for those from New York and Connecticut
, offering visitors factory outlet stores of national chain retailers such as Brooks Brothers
and Ralph Lauren
, as well as many locally owned businesses, including the Northshire Bookstore, one of America's leading independent bookstore
s.
, colonial governor of New Hampshire
. It was his custom to name new towns after prominent English
aristocrats of the day, hoping they might adopt a patronly interest in their namesake
s. Wentworth named Manchester for Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester
. First settled in 1764, the town was laid out in 1784. The land was better suited for grazing
than tillage
, so by 1839 about 6000 sheep roamed the pasturage and hillsides.
Other industries came to include iron mines, marble
quarries
and mills, and lumber
companies. The arrival of the railroad from industrialized centers like New York City
brought tourists, drawn by Manchester's historic architecture and beautiful setting among mountains. Following the Civil War
, the town developed into an affluent resort area, which it remains today.
Between 1812 and 1819 Manchester was made famous by the Boorn-Colvin case, called "America's first wrongful conviction murder case" , the subject of several books and still studied today..
, the town has a total area of 42.3 square miles (109.5 km2), of which 42.2 square miles (109.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.12%) is water. Manchester is drained by the Batten Kill
, Lye Brook, Munson Brook, Bromley Brook, and Bourn Brook. The town lies between the Green Mountains
to the east and the Taconic Range to the west. Equinox Mountain
, the highest summit in the Taconics, has an elevation of 3,850 feet (1,175 m).
The town is crossed by
U.S. Route 7
and 7A, as well as
Vermont Route 30
and
Vermont Route 11
.
of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,819 households, and 1,156 families residing in the town. The population density
was 99.0 people per square mile (38.2/km2). There were 2,456 housing units at an average density of 58.2 per square mile (22.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.38% Black or African American
, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.43% from other races
, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 1,819 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples
who were living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,196, and the median income for a family was $59,191. Males had a median income of $36,453 versus $26,017 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $30,499. About 2.2% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% 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, and one of two shire towns (county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
s) of, Bennington County, 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 4,180 at the 2000 census.
Manchester Village
Manchester (village), Vermont
Manchester is an incorporated village in the town of Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 602 at the 2000 census....
, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center
Manchester Center, Vermont
Manchester Center is a census-designated place in the town of Manchester in Bennington County, Vermont.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.8 km²...
are settlement centers within the town.
Manchester has become a tourist destination, especially for those from New York and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, offering visitors factory outlet stores of national chain retailers such as Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers is the oldest men's clothier chain in the United States. Founded in 1818 as a family business, the privately owned company is now owned by Retail Brand Alliance, also features clothing for women, and is headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.-History:On April 7,...
and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, as well as many locally owned businesses, including the Northshire Bookstore, one of America's leading independent bookstore
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
s.
History
The town was one of several chartered in 1761 by Benning WentworthBenning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
, colonial governor of New Hampshire
New 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...
. It was his custom to name new towns after prominent English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
aristocrats of the day, hoping they might adopt a patronly interest in their namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
s. Wentworth named Manchester for Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester
Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester
Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester was the son of Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester.He was MP for Huntingdonshire 1734–1739.He married Harriet Dunch, daughter of Edmund Dunch on 3 April 1735 and they had four children:...
. First settled in 1764, the town was laid out in 1784. The land was better suited for grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
than tillage
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
, so by 1839 about 6000 sheep roamed the pasturage and hillsides.
Other industries came to include iron mines, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and mills, and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
companies. The arrival of the railroad from industrialized centers like New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
brought tourists, drawn by Manchester's historic architecture and beautiful setting among mountains. Following 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...
, the town developed into an affluent resort area, which it remains today.
Between 1812 and 1819 Manchester was made famous by the Boorn-Colvin case, called "America's first wrongful conviction murder case" , the subject of several books and still studied today..
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 42.3 square miles (109.5 km2), of which 42.2 square miles (109.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.12%) is water. Manchester is drained by the Batten Kill
Batten Kill
The Batten Kill, or Battenkill, or the Battenkill River, is a river rising in Vermont that flows into New York and is a tributary of the Hudson River....
, Lye Brook, Munson Brook, Bromley Brook, and Bourn Brook. The town lies between the Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
to the east and the Taconic Range to the west. Equinox Mountain
Equinox Mountain
Equinox Mountain is a mountain in Bennington County, Vermont, United States, outside of Manchester. The mountain is the highest peak of the Taconic Range, and the highest point of Bennington County. It is one of thirteen peaks in Vermont with a topographic prominence over 2,000 ft, ranked...
, the highest summit in the Taconics, has an elevation of 3,850 feet (1,175 m).
The town is crossed by
U.S. Route 7U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...
and 7A, as well as
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...
and
Vermont Route 11Vermont Route 11
Vermont Route 11 is an east–west state highway in Vermont, United States. The western end of the highway is at Vermont Route 7A in Manchester. The eastern end is at the New Hampshire border at the Cheshire Bridge over the Connecticut River, connecting Springfield, Vermont and Charlestown, New...
.
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 4,180 people, 1,819 households, and 1,156 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 99.0 people per square mile (38.2/km2). There were 2,456 housing units at an average density of 58.2 per square mile (22.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.38% Black or African American
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...
, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.43% 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 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 1,819 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% 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...
who were living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,196, and the median income for a family was $59,191. Males had a median income of $36,453 versus $26,017 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 $30,499. About 2.2% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Charles Augustus AikenCharles Augustus Aiken-Biography:He was born in Manchester, Vermont in 1827 to John Aiken and Harriet Adams Aiken. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1846, and went on to Andover Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1853. He married Sarah Noyes on October 17, 1854, and was ordained a pastor of the...
, clergyman, president of Union CollegeUnion CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, professor at Princeton University. - Joseph Sweetman AmesJoseph Sweetman AmesJoseph Sweetman Ames was a physics professor at Johns Hopkins University, provost of the university from 1926 until 1929, and university president from 1929 until 1935.He was born at Manchester, Vermont...
, physicist, president of Johns Hopkins University. - Edmund Bennett, judge and educator.
- Myra BradwellMyra BradwellMyra Colby Bradwell was a publisher and political activist. She was the first woman to be admitted to the Illinois bar to become the first female lawyer in Illinois in 1892.-Life:...
, first American woman to become an attorney. - James M. ClarkeJames M. ClarkeJames "Jamie" McClure Clarke was a North Carolina politician and farmer. He is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives.Born in Manchester, Vermont, Clarke grew up in Asheville, North Carolina...
, congressman. - Jeremiah FrenchJeremiah FrenchJeremiah French was a soldier, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Stratford, Connecticut in 1743, later settling at Manchester, Vermont. He served with General John Burgoyne during the American Revolution. After the war, he settled at Maple Grove in Upper Canada. He...
, soldier, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. - Jonathan GoldsmithJonathan GoldsmithJonathan Goldsmith is an American actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s...
, actor - Robert Todd LincolnRobert Todd LincolnRobert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and Secretary of War, and the first son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln...
, first son of Abraham Lincoln. - Ahiman Louis MinerAhiman Louis MinerAhiman Louis Miner was a U.S. Representative from Vermont.Born in Middletown, Vermont, Miner attended the common schools and Castleton Academy. He studied law in Poultney and Rutland, Vermont. He was admitted to the bar in 1832 and practiced in Wallingford 1833-1836. He moved to Manchester,...
, congressman. - Benjamin S. RobertsBenjamin S. RobertsBenjamin Stone Roberts was an American lawyer, civil engineer, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, Civil War general. - The SamplesThe SamplesThe Samples were a band formed in Boulder, Colorado in early 1987. The band's name came from the members' early sustenance of food samples from the local King Soopers grocery store. The music has been described as "reggae influenced rock/pop" and a cross between The Police and the Grateful Dead...
, alternative rock band. - Clara SipprellClara SipprellClara Sipprell was a Canadian-born, early 20th century photographer who lived most of her life in the United States. She was well-known for her pictorial landscapes and for portraits of many famous actors, artists, writers and scientists....
, photographer. - Richard SkinnerRichard SkinnerRichard Skinner was an American politician, attorney, and jurist from the US state of Vermont.Skinner was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Litchfield Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1800, beginning a practice in Manchester, Vermont...
, jurist and congressman. - Treat WilliamsTreat WilliamsRichard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
, movie and television actor. - Sarah Norcliffe CleghornSarah Norcliffe CleghornSarah Norcliffe Cleghorn was a miniaturist poet associated with the American Naturalist literary movement. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Cleghorn spent much of her early childhood in Minnesota and Wisconsin before moving to Vermont at age 9 after the death of her mother...
, poetess, feminist, suffragist
See also
- Manchester, Dorset and Granville RailroadManchester, Dorset and Granville RailroadThe Manchester, Dorset and Granville Railroad was an intrastate railroad in southwestern Vermont. It ran from Manchester, Vermont to Dorset, Vermont, a distance of approximately 5 miles.-History:...