Barton (village), Vermont
| Barton, Vermont | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Barton, Vermont
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| Coordinates: 44°44′52″N 72°10′33″W / 44.74778°N 72.17583°WCoordinates: 44°44′52″N 72°10′33″W / 44.74778°N 72.17583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Vermont |
| County | Orleans |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2) |
| • Land | 1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 958 ft (292 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 742 |
| • Density | 594.8/sq mi (229.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 05822 |
| Area code(s) | 802 |
| FIPS code | 50-03475 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1456281 |
Barton is a village located near the center of the town of Barton, in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 742 at the 2000 census.
In the 19th century, the village was the economic center of the county. Prior to incorporation, the village had been known as "Barton Mills."
Tourists from Boston and New York arrived by train and could register in one of three major hotels.
The village was incorporated on November 21, 1874.
Fire permanently reshaped the village, starting with the 1883 destruction of the building on the site now occupied by the Pierce Building. The hotels were destroyed, mostly by fire, in 1967 and 1971.
The Pierce Block was built in 1885 and is still being used for commercial purposes, one of the few business buildings to survive the multitude of fires that the village has experienced.
In 1889, a waterworks was constructed using May Pond. Presumably sewage disposal was constructed concurrently.
In 1895, the village constructed a hydroelectric plant on the Clyde River in West Charleston.
An Indian burial ground was discovered during the excavation for the new Barton Academy in 1907. There is no record of what happened to those artifacts.
In 1907, a ballpark with 200 seats in the grandstand was constructed at the corner of Park and Elm Streets. A professional village team played there and won the professional state championship over rival Orleans in 1908.
There was heavy flooding in 1927 which severely damaged the village.
A fire on August 11, 1938, destroyed three business blocks. The fire ruined any hope of an industrial revival. The Orleans County Monitor commented that it dealt an "irreparable injury to a community struggling to maintain its position as a secondary business and trade center in Vermont."
Fires consumed buildings housing a butter tub factory (2 fires prior to 1916), the Opera House (1929), a cheese factory (1954), and the Monitor building (1968).
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Wikipedia