Craftsbury, Vermont
| Craftsbury, Vermont | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Located in Orleans County, Vermont |
|
 Location of Vermont with the U.S.A. |
|
| Coordinates: 44°39′29″N 72°22′45″W / 44.65806°N 72.37917°WCoordinates: 44°39′29″N 72°22′45″W / 44.65806°N 72.37917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Vermont |
| County | Orleans |
| Chartered | August 23, 1781 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.7 sq mi (102.9 km2) |
| • Land | 39.3 sq mi (101.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 904 ft (272 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,136 |
| • Density | 28.9/sq mi (11.2/km2) |
| • Households | 427 |
| • Families | 301 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 05826-05827 |
| Area code(s) | 802 |
| FIPS code | 50-16300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1462078 |
| Website | www.townofcraftsbury.com |
Craftsbury is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town includes the four unincorporated villages of Craftsbury Common, Mill Village, North Craftsbury and East Craftsbury.
The state granted the town to Ebenezer Crafts, Timothy Newell, and sixty-two associates, on November 6, 1780. They named it Minden. It was changed to Craftsbury, in honor of Ebenezer Crafts, on October 27, 1790. Crafts was the first settler in the county.
North Craftsbury was settled by the earliest pioneers, and was for many years the center of business and trade, not only for Craftsbury, but for Eden, Lowell, Albany, and portions of the neighboring towns. Continuing trouble with American Indians led to the successive founding of Craftsbury village (in a valley), East Craftsbury (on higher ground) and Craftsbury Common (on a hilltop).
The militia was drilled here on the common while such training took place. All the public and religious meetings were held here. Along with Brownington, Craftsbury was a co-county seat until 1815 when it switched to Irasburg. Orleans county courts were held alternately at Craftsbury and Brownington.
In 1840, the town needed 12 school districts to administer its schools, because of poor road infrastructure. There were 1,200 people, predominately engaged in farming. They owned 333 horses, 1,718 cattle, 3,166 sheep, and 658 pigs. They produced 47,906 pounds (21,730 kg) of potatoes, 14,398 US bushels (507,400 l; 115,180 US dry gal; 111,610 imp gal) oats, 5,705 US bushels (201,000 l; 45,640 US dry gal; 44,220 imp gal) of other crops, 3,171 short tons (2,877 t) of hay, and 35,412 pounds (16,063 kg) of maple sugar. The town had two gristmills, a hulling mill, two carding machine operations, ten sawmills, two fulling mills, three carriage makers, and one oil mill.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.7 square miles (102.9 km2), of which 39.3 square miles (101.7 km2) is land and 0.4 square mile (1.1 km2) (1.11%) is water.
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